NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The latest on criminal charges against Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane (all times local):
11:40 a.m.
Pennsylvania’s top prosecutor is vowing to stay in office as she fights charges she violated grand jury secrecy laws and lied about her actions under oath.
Attorney General Kathleen Kane said Thursday that she’s disappointed in a county prosecutor’s decision to pursue the case but looks forward to defending herself and moving the case from behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
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The 49-year-old Democrat is charged with leaking secret grand jury information to a political operative to pass to the media. Montgomery County Prosecutor Risa Vetri Ferman says Kane was trying to embarrass a former state prosecutor she thought made her look bad.
Kane says in a statement that a resignation would be an admission of guilt and she’s not guilty. She says the attorney general’s office will continue fulfilling its mission to serve residents.
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11 a.m.
Pennsylvania’s top prosecutor has been charged with violating grand jury secrecy laws and lying about her actions under oath.
Attorney General Kathleen Kane is the second state attorney general to face criminal charges this week.
A grand jury recommended charges in December in connection with allegations Kane unlawfully leaked information from a 2009 investigation in what witnesses said was an attempt to embarrass critics.
The 49-year-old Kane became the first woman and Democrat elected attorney general in Pennsylvania in 2012 since it became an elected office in 1980.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was charged Monday with securities fraud.
Kane didn’t immediately comment on the charges. A top aide said Thursday morning she was aware of news reports that she faces criminal charges and “has no reason to doubt them.”
Related: Texas A.G. faces criminal charges ___ 10 a.m. A top aide says Pennsylvania’s attorney general has no reason to doubt reports that she’s about to be criminally charged. A grand jury had recommended in December that Attorney General Kathleen Kane be charged in connection with allegations she unlawfully leaked information from a 2009 investigation, apparently to embarrass her critics. Kane spokesman Chuck Ardo said Thursday that Kane is aware of reports she faces criminal charges and “has no reason to doubt them.” A prosecutor considering charges has scheduled a news conference. Kane in 2012 became the first woman and Democrat elected attorney general in Pennsylvania. The Kane investigation centered on allegations a June 2014 Philadelphia Daily News article contained confidential information from a grand jury case. Kane has denied illegally leaking information and says she won’t step down.
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