Stetler's motion about AG could have consequences

Here is a great article on that further explains the motions filed by Attorney Joshua Locke who is defending former Representative Steve Stetler and Representative Brett Feese with Dauphin County Judge Richard A. Lewis. The motions accuse Attorney General Tom Corbett of using office staff and state office resources for campaign purposes. Apparently the defense feels that Corbett violated the same law that Corbett is using to convict state lawmakers and their staff. At first I thought the motions were just a defense tactic but apparently after reading this article I think they have some teeth.

Lock's argument is not the same one made by prior Bonusgate defendants, said Michael Palermo, the lawyer for Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink, who was convicted of corruption charges along with Veon.

It's stronger, Palermo said, front-loaded with bits of evidence he and other defense attorneys hoped to elicit from witnesses at trial. That didn't happen because Lewis didn't allow the testimony. Lock has put his allegations on paper, forcing the court to confront them.

But Stetler and Feese go further than the Veon defendants had, Palermo said, when they allege the Attorney General's office has staffers doing campaign work on state time -- a common charge against Bonusgate defendants.

"When I read it, I was jealous," Palermo said. "This is a fully developed motion . . . Our motion was a grain of sand -- Josh Lock's is the beach." (York Daily Record)

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Corbett's office is saying that everything related to campaign activity has been above board and all of these allegations against Corbett had been made before in previous cases, but the details of the motions filed by Lock suggest differently. According to court documents, apparently Corbett hired three former campaign staffers to work for the Attorney General's office. One of the staffers was Brian Nutt who worked for the Corbett campaign in 2004 and 2008. Nutt is now Corbett's campaign manager.

Apparently staffers would take "Leaves Of Absences" to work on Corbett's campaigns and then return and work for Corbett in the Attorney General's Office. Lock is suggesting nine Attorney General employees were given "Comp" time,"flex" time, or their own time to work for Corbett's campaign. All of this seems a little fishy to me. Like I said before the more you research Corbett's political career the more questions arise!