According to published reports, House Democratic leaders last week attempted to keep seven caucus staffers from being called to testify before a statewide grand jury looking into the bonuses. That’s unacceptable.
Attorney General Tom Corbett is investigating whether any of the nearly $4 million awarded in bonuses during the 2005-06 session was for campaign work, which would be illegal. Some of the bonuses were $20,000 or more.
Sen. John Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, is among those who have called for the investigation.
Earlier this year, Pennsylvanians learned that all four legislative caucuses — Senate Republican, Senate Democratic, House Republican and House Democratic — awarded bonuses of varying amounts to some employees over the last two years.
However, the $2.4 million in bonuses given by the House Democratic caucus is more than the other three combined. Last month, investigators for the Attorney General’s Office raided the Democratic Office of Legislative Research and left with about a dozen boxes.
It’s troubling that House Democratic leaders are attempting to impede the investigation by blocking testimony. It’s leaves one to wonder what they are afraid investigators will learn.
As long as campaign and legislative work were kept separate, as required by law, and as long as state funds were not used to compensate employees for work on campaigns, none of the caucuses should have anything to fear from this investigation.
And as stewards of our tax dollars, legislative leaders should be bending over backward to assist in the investigation. They should want the probe in order to assure the public that everything was done according to the law.
If that cooperation isn’t forthcoming, Pennsylvanians need to ask why.
It’s time for taxpayers to make it clear to their legislators that anything less than total assistance with the attorney general’s investigation is unacceptable and will have consequences during the next election.
