Clout: Corbett wielding power with Twitter subpoena?
STATE ATTORNEY General Tom Corbett may have stepped into a political trifecta of trouble by subpoenaing Twitter in an effort to reveal the identities of two fervent critics.
STATE ATTORNEY General
Tom Corbett
may have stepped into a political trifecta of trouble by subpoenaing Twitter in an effort to reveal the identities of two fervent critics.
Corbett gives Dan Onorato, his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 2 gubernatorial election, the ability to claim that the attorney general uses his office for political gain while prosecuting state lawmakers and their staff for using their offices for political gain.
Corbett also sets himself up on the wrong side of freedom of speech, offering no investigatory reason for why he needs to unmask two anonymous critics.
And he gives those critics attention, which will likely lead to more people paying attention to what they say about Corbett.
Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley said the reason for the subpoena would be disclosed in Dauphin County Court today, when Brett Cott, one of the people convicted in the long-running "Bonusgate" probe into corruption in the Legislature, is sentenced.
"It has nothing to do with criticism of the attorney general," Harley said, refusing to explain much more than this: "It has to do with this specific case."
There is wide speculation that Cott, a former Democratic legislative aide, is the author of CasablancaPA, a blog dedicated to "Exposing the hypocrisy of Tom Corbett."
Cott and his attorney, Bryan Walk, refused to comment about that yesterday. Walk said Corbett was seeking an extended prison stay in a state facility for Cott of 18 to 42 months for three charges that rate probation to nine months.
"Kevin Harley is just putting the spin on it that Tom Corbett wants," Walk said yesterday. "They're not going to have any evidence [today] that definitively links this [blog] to Brett."
The American Civil Liberties Union is trying to get Corbett to drop the subpoena and will challenge it in court if he doesn't.
The May 6 subpoena demands "any and all subscriber information" about the Twitter accounts for "CasablancaPA" and "bfbarbie," including name, address, contact information, and all Internet protocol addresses.
Onorato seized on the subpoena yesterday, calling it "completely outrageous" while accusing Corbett of using his office for political purposes. He compared it to the lawsuit Corbett helped file to challenge President Obama's health-care-reform legislation.
"You can't subpoena somebody if they say something negative about you," Onorato said. "It's the nature of the beast. To me, that's using your office in a political way."
2nd Ward stories - an update
Here's a curious turn in the struggle for South Philly's 2nd Democratic Ward: The two men who want to lead the ward lost bids for City Committee Tuesday.
Ward Leader Ed Nesmith (25th Division) and challenger Nick Schmanek (2nd Division) both came in third out of four candidates for two open seats.
But it wasn't all bad news for Schmanek. Vern Anastasio (10th Division) and 10 friends and family members all won City Committee seats Tuesday.
"I think Nick Schmanek should be our next ward leader," Anastasio said when we asked if he might try to take over the ward. "And the 10 friends and family who ran with me feel that way."
Anastasio, who had dinner on Election Night with Councilman Frank DiCicco, his onetime nemesis, said his next bid for public office would come when DiCicco decides to leave office.
Local-state GOP battles rage on Two insurgent Philadelphia Republicans, Joe DeFelice and Kevin Kelly, managed to win seats on the GOP's State Committee despite opposition from local party leaders.
DeFelice, president of the Mayfair Civic Association, benefited from the top ballot position and several years of party organizing work, financed by the State Committee. Kelly, founder of a local group called the Loyal Opposition, has been a leading critic of Republican City Committee's general counsel and acknowledged leader, Mike Meehan.
Ten other candidates with City Committee backing - including Meehan himself - also won State Committee seats.
In Bucks County, GOP leaders convinced two judges to sign orders prohibiting the distribution of sample ballots by 10 individuals seeking State Committee seats without party backing.
Constables enforced the order at polling places, confiscating the ballots or directing people to stop passing them out.
"They took all our ballots and threatened to have us arrested," said one of the "unauthorized" candidates, Jennifer Stefano.
The ballots said they'd been prepared "Courtesy of Liberty Printing Co.," but the judges ruled that they should have listed which candidates authorized them.
Attorney Larry Otter said the rulings ran contrary to several U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
Quotable:
"It has been close to three months and the American public is still looking for a straight answer from the White House on whether a job offer was made to bait Joe Sestak out of the Pennsylvania Senate race and, if so, whether it still stands. It is unacceptable for an administration that touts itself as the 'most transparent' in history to continue to stonewall a significant and potentially devastating accusation of political corruption."
- RNC Chairman Michael Steele
Staff writer Bob Warner contributed to this report.
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