Embattled state Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s intermittent campaign against pornographic emails on public computers is about to intensify.
A spokesman for Kane said she’ll announce a team of special prosecutors Tuesday morning in Philadelphia.
The unit’s mission will be to “go through” public email accounts linked to pornographic and offensive messages the Office of Attorney General uncovered on its servers, according to a written statement from Kane last week.
For the past month, Democrats have called for a special prosecutor to investigate the extent of the raunchy emails.
But some critics say Kane’s move to broaden the probe is just an attempt to divert attention from her own legal troubles.
Kane made the first disclosures about the pornographic exchanges emails last year, but she announced her plans for a special unit to investigate them last Wednesday, shortly after a special committee advised the state Senate to consider her removal from office.
Complicating matters, perhaps, is the fact that the attorney general’s law license is suspended, leaving her official abilities murky.
Bruce Ledewitz, a professor at Duquesne University School of Law, said the appointment of a special prosecutor would amount to the practice of law, which Kane cannot do while her law license is inactive. But, he added, the special prosecutors would only invite legal challenge if they filed legal actions, and you don’t necessarily need legal actions to dig around.
“They would have enough authority to investigate,” said Ledewitz. “You would not expect any challenge until ... these people act as prosecutors. And that might never happen.”
Kane is facing counts of perjury and other criminal charges. She says the case against her is in retaliation for her attempt to uncover inappropriate e-mails exchanged among public employees, including judges and prosecutors.
