Corbett's petition investigation draws political fire

Amid charges of political favoritism from his Democratic gubernatorial rival, state Attorney General Tom Corbett has opened a forgery investigation into the election petitions filed by an independent candidate for Congress from Delaware County.

The case demonstrates potential conflicts of interest that Corbett may encounter by wearing two hats: as GOP nominee for governor, and as the state's top law enforcement official with the power to probe election fraud.

And Wednesday's war of words about the case demonstrates that the post-Labor Day, preelection brawling season is already in full swing.

The investigation by Corbett's office, begun within the last week, involves several dozen voter signatures submitted last month by conservative Jim Schneller in his successful bid to get on the Nov. 2 ballot in the Seventh District alongside the major-party candidates, Republican Pat Meehan and Democrat Bryan Lentz.

The forgery allegations came from James Gardner Colins, a lawyer for the Meehan campaign, which last month hired a handwriting expert to study Schneller's signatures. Colins relayed his concerns to Michael Green, the Delaware County district attorney, who in turn handed the case off to Corbett.

Corbett, as a Republican, is supporting Meehan in the congressional race, which will determine a successor to Rep. Joe Sestak, who is giving up the House seat to run for the Senate.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato, in a statement issued Wednesday from his Pittsburgh campaign office, said the case showed a propensity by Corbett to use his post for political purposes.

Onorato said that while speedily taking on the Schneller petitions, Corbett had dragged his feet in completing an investigation he began in March into Meehan's election petitions. That case also was referred to Corbett's office by Green.

Schneller last week sued Corbett and acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Basil Merenda, seeking to force completion of the Meehan probe before the election.

Gregory Harvey, a veteran Philadelphia election lawyer not involved in the case, said that suit appeared to him to have little chance of forcing Corbett's hand.

Since spring, Onorato said, Corbett also has steered clear of a battle between GOP factions in Philadelphia that involves election-fraud claims. He contended Corbett was afraid to hurt his own election chances by wading into a party feud.

"While Corbett claims to be concerned with Schneller's petitions, he has refused to investigate similar charges of forgery and fraud within the Philadelphia Republican Party," Onorato said.

Two Corbett spokesmen - one at his state office, the other with his campaign - blasted back, saying Onorato was the one playing politics. They said Corbett could hardly shun a district attorney's request to investigate possible crimes.

They said further that Onorato, a lawyer, does not appear to know the law in the Philadelphia case. They said the attorney general has no authority to probe election fraud unless requested to do so by the local district attorney. And the district attorney in this instance, Seth Williams, has made no such request.

"Truly, if anyone is taking law enforcement investigations and trying to use them for political purposes, it is Dan Onorato," said Nils Frederiksen, spokesman in the Attorney General's Office.

Onorato "doesn't know the law on basic jurisdiction," said Kevin Harley, the Corbett campaign spokesman.

Frederiksen said that he could not report on where either Seventh District investigation lay, but that both were active.

Neither will affect whether Meehan or Schneller remain on the ballot. Meehan last month dropped a civil challenge to Schneller's right to be a candidate.

Schneller said of his petitions: "I didn't see any forgeries, and if I had, I would have removed them immediately."