State rep again calls for Kane's impeachment

HARRISBURG - State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe is again calling for the impeachment of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane.

Metcalfe, a conservative Republican from Butler County, said Monday that he was circulating a resolution calling for Kane's impeachment because he questions her ability to "perform the duties of her office."

"She has displayed a blatant disregard and disrespect for the law," Metcalfe said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Kane said she would have no comment. Earlier this year, the House State Government Committee, which Metcalfe chairs, held a hearing on a similar resolution. At the time, Democrats on the committee walked out, saying the proceeding was politically motivated and circumvented the normal process for impeachment hearings, which are rare in the Capitol.

On Monday, Metcalfe cited a number of examples he said demonstrate that Kane, the first woman and first Democrat elected to the office, is not carrying out her job's duties.

Among them: her decision to secretly shut down a long-running sting investigation, begun by her Republican predecessors, that captured five Philadelphia Democrats on tape accepting cash, money orders and, in one case, a $2,000 Tiffany bracelet. Kane has said she believes it was poorly run and tainted by racial targeting.

Metcalfe also said Kane has refused to defend several Pennsylvania laws, including a recently passed law that expands the ability of the National Rifle Association or gun owners to successfully sue municipalities over firearms ordinances.