Kane charged with leaking secret information

State Attorney General Kathleen Kane was charged Thursday for leaking secret grand jury information to seek revenge on her rivals and then lying about it to a separate investigating grand jury. Kane faces charges of obstruction, official oppression, perjury, criminal conspiracy, and false swearing.Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said Kane waged her own, personal “war” on former state prosecutors she thought had tarnished her public image. “This was her war based upon the evidence conducted without regard to the rules, without regard to the law, and without regard to any damage the battle might entail,” said Ferman. “Our actions here today make one thing crystal clear, beyond any doubt — that no one is above the law, not even the chief law enforcement officer of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” The announcement comes roughly eight months after a grand jury recommended charges in connection with allegations that the attorney general leaked protected information from a 2009 investigation in what witnesses said was an attempt to embarrass her detractors.In a written statement, Kane maintained her innocence and vowed to fight the charges. “I remain committed to leading the Office of Attorney General and doing the job the citizens of this Commonwealth elected me to do,” said Kane. “A resignation would be an admission of guilt and I’m not guilty.” The statement was sent by the Office of Attorney General press office.Ferman said Kane would be arraigned within two days at a public hearing. Kane’s driver, special agent Patrick R. Reese, was also charged with indirect criminal conspiracy for allegedly accessing secret grand jury material on her behalf. “It is clear from the evidence we gathered that while the attorney general orchestrated this scheme and directed the scheme that she did not herself compile the materials and deliver them to Mr. Morrow,” said Ferman, referring to Josh Morrow, who ran Kane’s 2012 campaign for attorney general. Kane was not charged in connection to April firing of an employee who testified against her before a grand jury, but more charges could be in the offing. Ferman said the investigation continues. Thursday’s announcement stems from a grand jury that investigated Kane and recommended charges against her last year. The case was then referred to Ferman. Prosecutors say Kane broke grand jury secrecy rules when she arranged for the Philadelphia Daily News to receive material from a shuttered grand jury case. Her goal, Montgomery County prosecutors say, was to strike back at state prosecutors including Frank Fina, a political foe. Fina helped run the high-profile prosecution of Jerry Sandusky, a case Kane vowed to re-open upon being elected. He left the office when Kane was elected, securing a job with Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams. When the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2014 that Kane had closed a string that caught several state officials on tape accepting cash or gifts from an undercover informant, Kane allegedly harbored resentment that the tips came from Fina and other former state prosecutors. Williams, Fina’s new boss, requested the case from Kane, and filed charges against many of the officials named. Kane is the second elected Pennsylvania attorney general to face criminal charges.