MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA (WPMT) The probe in to Attorney General Kathleen Kane alleged leaking of secret grand jury information has widen to include her April 8 firing of Jame Baker. Baker was a key witness in the grand jury investigation. Questions arose a to while he was fired in retaliation for testifying.
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman says a three member panel of judges referred Baker’s firing to her office for criminal investigation.
Ferman’s office issued a statement: “The District Attorney’s Office will conduct this investigation, along with an on-going investigation into other alleged conduct of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, which was authorized after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s March 31, 2015 ruling. These inquiries will be conducted using standards and procedures that reflect an ethical prosecutor’s responsibilities as a “minister of justice.” As
in any case, upon completion of our independent factual investigation, we will make charging decisions based upon a fair analysis of the applicable legal standards with a focus on the Commonwealth’s proper burden of proof at trial, beyond a reasonable doubt. The District Attorney’s Office will have no further comment on this matter until such time as a decision has been made on the investigation.”
On Monday a Montgomery County Judge ordered the grand jury presentment that recommended charges against Kane be open to the public, saying the reasons the presentment was sealed no longer exist. In that presentment it was revealed how the testimony of several top aides on Kane’s staff helped special prosecutor Thomas Carluccio build its case against her.
