GOP group edits Kane ad in AG race, adds new claim
The Republican State Leadership Group, which had been running an inaccurate commercial for nearly five days about Kathleen Kane, the Democratic nominee for state Attorney General, has now released a new version of the ad. The political non-profit, based in Washington, D.C., tries to blame Kane for the inaccuracy after she complained Friday that she played no role in the resolution of two rape cases cited in the original version of the ad.
GOP group edits Kane ad in AG race, adds new claim
Chris Brennan
The Republican State Leadership Committee, which had been running an inaccurate commercial for nearly five days about Kathleen Kane, the Democratic nominee for state Attorney General, has now released a new version of the ad. The political non-profit, based in Washington, D.C., tries to blame Kane for the inaccuracy after she complained Friday that she played no role in the resolution of two rape cases cited in the original version of the ad.
“Now she lets others take responsibility for violent criminals given weak plea deals," a female narrator says in the new version, which drops claims that Kane went "soft" on the two rape cases while serving as an assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County.
The Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office has disputed the RSLC accusations, saying Kane was not assigned to the cases when they were resolved. The father of a rape victim in one of the cases issued a letter saying the RSLC "should be ashamed" of the ad.
The new version of the ad cites a third rape case with a 15-year-old victim not mentioned in the original version. In that case a jury of seven women and five men found a 27-year-old man guilty of statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault but acquitted him of rape, sexual assault and indecent exposure, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.
"And in one of her only trials, Kane failed miserably, resulting in the alleged rapist of a 15-year-old getting off on a conviction of lesser charges," the narrator says in the new version.
Kane on Friday said she recalled that case, which the RSLC listed on its web site before adding it to the commercial Monday. She said it was unfair for the RSLC to suggest that she went light on the defendant in that case.
"It was a jury verdict," Kane said of the case. "How do you go light when it is a jury verdict?"
This is ridiculous - any inclination I had to vote for a republican in the AG's race is long gone considering they don't even have the deceny to condemn these ads. What was the last case Corbett tried as a prosecutor before getting elected AG? Did he try any cases every? Why is this organization that has no connection to PA or really care about PA trying to influence our elections. It is ridiculous. Every real prosecutor out there knows that this verdict is not unusual as many juries dislike saying guilty of rape and go for the other charges. And don't give me the line, "democrats do it too" - I don't like when anyone does blatant fiction - it doesn't make it right.— jtcmine
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Sharky...You have zero class, troll!- After Corbett's miserable tenure as AG, there's no way I'd vote another republican into the office, especially when I consider their vile and despicable tactics.— CommonSense in Philly
- I didn't know newspapers and media entities were getting between candidates in an election and taking (one) sides while both people fire accusations at each other.— Phillies2008WSChamps
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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