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Pa. AG offensive email report out: No names, justice wasn't undermined

Published  November 22, 2016 11:02am EST
US
FOX 29 Philadelphia

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTXF/AP) - Pennsylvania's attorney general announced a review of 6.4 million emails and documents captured on Attorney General's Office servers showed no evidence of inappropriate communications that could impact the administration of justice in Pennsylvania.

"This review leaves no doubt -- there was nothing found in these emails to suggest there were inappropriate ex parte communications between members of the judiciary and OAG employees about cases or matters affecting the administration of justice," Attorney General Bruce Beemer said.

That review stems from the revelation that employees had swapped sexually explicit and offensive material for years through office email.

Tuesday, Beemer said a new report flags 38 people as high-volume senders of inappropriate emails, and says 13 senders were judges or senior government officials.

But Beemer didn't name them or describe the emails' contents. Many of the people named in the report complained about their public identification after being notified they'd sent pornographic or otherwise offensive emails. The names of the high-volume senders and government officials were redacted in the report released Tuesday.

Beemer stressed the Attorney General's Office already disciplined 60 employees whose emails actually were offensive. The discipline ranged from terminations and suspensions to written reprimands and counseling.

The report by a private law firm was commissioned by Beemer's convicted predecessor Kathleen Kane.

Kane discovered inappropriate emails when she took office in 2013.

The scandal led to the resignation of two state Supreme Court justices and discipline against 60 government employees.

When Kane resigned in August, Solicitor General Bruce Castor (and former Montgomery County district attorney) assumed the office temporarily. Weeks later, Gov. Tom Wolf nominated Beemer, who was quickly confirmed as attorney general. Beemer be replaced by Josh Shapiro, elected earlier this month when Kane's term would've ended. Shapiro will take office in January.