Corbett's campaign criticized for staffers work The attorney general's office said John Morganelli is playing politics.By RICHARD FELLINGER Harrisburg bureauArticle Last Updated: 07/22/2008 09:46:50 AM EDTDemocratic attorney general candidate John Morganelli blasted incumbent TomCorbett on Monday for allowing state staffers to do political work for him whileprosecuting the notorious "Bonusgate" case.Morganelli called on attorney general staffers who have handled campaign tasks toresign their state jobs, and he urged Corbett to appoint a special prosecutor in thecase accusing House Democrats of campaigning with public resources.Corbett's campaign fired back at Morganelli, accusing him of seeking publicity andquestioning who's helping with his campaign.Morganelli was responding to a story Sunday in the York Sunday News about severalattorney general staffers who have been reimbursed for expenses while helping theCorbett campaign.Among them is Brian Nutt, chief of staff to the attorney general, who took an unpaidleave of absence last month to be Corbett's campaign manager.Kevin Harley, the attorney general's director of communications, has also donepolitical work for Corbett, along with both of Corbett's executive assistants and twotop aides in the Office of Legislative Affairs.In Bonusgate, Corbett is prosecuting 12 Democrats in a major case that accusesHouse staffers of regularly doing political work on the job and top officials of usingtaxpayer-funded bonuses to reward aides for campaign work. It is illegal to use stateresources for campaigns.While Nutt and Harley reiterated Monday that Corbett requires any campaign tasksto be done0ff the clock, Morganelli said his foe has political operatives on the state payroll andit's "a big blur.""You have to separate the political people from the job," Morganelli said.Morganelli, the Northampton County district attorney, said staffers in his countyoffice do not campaign for him, though he admitted one might have circulatednominating petitions for him in the past.
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