Penn State's New Villain: Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett

[Are_grits_groceries]

Like an unchecked oil spill with no effective cleanup plan in sight, the black ooze flowing from the tragedy and travesty of the Penn State scandal keeps spreading, covering even those who—because of mad-dash coverage, in particular by The New York Times—were originally hailed as instant heroes.

A week after a state grand jury reported dozens of horrific acts of sexual abuse against minors by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, the only man who stood tall was Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett.

The investigation started in 2009 on Corbett’s watch,when he was state attorney general, and the release of the 40-count indictment against Sandusky occurred with Corbett in the governor’s mansion.
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Kathleen Kane, who is running for attorney general, is a Democrat, while Corbett is a Republican. But Kane was also an assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County who specialized in cases of sexual abuse for 12 years. She told me that in any case where authorities know of an alleged sexual predator believed to have committed a crime, the first obligation is to make an arrest. The risk of Sandusky committing another act against a minor child was too great to wait three years for a report, she said emphatically.

Corbett brushed off any criticism last week as being misinformed. “The investigation moved as quickly as it could,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “If, during the time that I was in office, we could have been in a position to make an arrest, we would have made an arrest.”

I am not a lawyer, but I have spoken to former prosecutors who have dealt with sexual abuse, including rape, and they don’t buy Corbett’s line for a second. “You don’t need a grand-jury report,” said one. “If there is an alleged sexual predator on the streets known to you, you get him off the streets.” After an arrest, the former prosecutor said, there is nothing to preclude investigators from finding more alleged victims. In fact, victims might have been more comfortable coming forward knowing that the alleged perpetrator had been arrested. And the actions of Penn State officials still could have been probed.
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http://www.thedailybeast.com//content/newsweek/2011/11/20/penn-state-s-new-villain-pennsylvania-gov-tom-corbett.html

I hope they nail everybody who was involved to trees. Might run out of trees.

[livetohike]

1. "Bye bye" to my idiot Governor

who also sat/sits on the Penn State Board of Trustees.

[riderinthestorm]

2. This is ugly news. It really paints a terrible finger at Corbett. Thanks for the OP. nt

[zbdent]

3. on a somewhat related note ...

In Cleveland, there has been a lot of mileage done by Republicans about the "corruption" in the city officials ... almost exclusively Dems.

It's interesting when you actually think about it ...

All those years of Republicans running the state, starting with the Governor ...

And the actual investigations and arrests/indictments came under a ... get this ... GOVERNOR WHO WAS A DEMOCRAT!

(So, what did the Republicans have? Bob Taft III, the first Ohio criminal serving as Governor ...)

[DURHAM D]

4. Corbett is Roman Catholic.

His actions reflect that of his church - cover up, cover up, cover up.

[HopeHoops]

5. The receiver he appointed for Harrisburg has worked for a LONG time with the creditors.

The very people he's suppose to be asking to forgive the city's debt are ones he has worked for, including one gig that spans 27 years. The mayor says she's comfortable with the choice but she seems to be a in a small minority of the city lawmakers on that one.

Corbett's an asswipe.