March 8, 2008

More subpoenas issued over Harrisburg bonuses

Mario F. Cattabiani INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

HARRISBURG

- A grand jury examining whether millions of dollars in government bonuseswere given illegally to legislative aides as a reward for political campaign work recently issued afresh round of subpoenas to House leaders.The subpoenas seek records, including expense documents, and indicate that the investigation byAttorney General Tom Corbett known as "Bonusgate" is far from over as it enters its secondyear.Spokesmen for Democrats and Republicans in the House confirmed yesterday that both caucusesreceived recent subpoenas."As we've said repeatedly for the past several months, we are cooperating with every aspect of the attorney general's grand jury investigation," said Tom Andrews, press secretary to MajorityLeader Bill DeWeese (D., Greene).Said Steve Miskin, spokesman for the House Republicans: "We intend to continue to fullycooperate with this investigation. We are not throwing up any roadblocks."Miskin and Andrews refused to discuss details of the subpoenas. But sources have confirmed thatsome of the expenses sought by the grand jury were paid through special discretionary accountscontrolled by legislative leaders and long derided by critics as unchecked slush funds.Over the years, leaders tapped those accounts for such things as meals, consultants, polling, plane trips, and gifts to staffers.Kevin Harley, Corbett's press secretary, would not comment on the latest subpoenas, citing grand jury secrecy rules.So far, the investigation has focused mostly on Democrats in the House, who handed out themost in bonuses.At the end of 2006, after winning back control of the lower chamber, Democrats gave nearly$1.9 million to 717 aides. At least 15 caucus staffers have been called to testify before the grand jury, and attorney general's agents last year seized 20 boxes of records from Democratic researchoffices in the Capitol.In November, DeWeese forced seven aides from their jobs after discovering what he later described as damning e-mails that allegedly tied some bonuses to campaign work.DeWeese has repeatedly said that he was unaware of the extent of the bonuses and had delegatedthem to others.