Pennsylvania attorney general to stand trial on perjury charges

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania's attorney general, who has imprisoned hundreds since 2013, is in court this week facing charges of perjury, false swearing and obstructing the administration of law.

Kathleen G. Kane, 50, is also charged with official oppression and conspiracy for allegedly leaking information on the late J. Whyatt Modesire, of Philadelphia, who was never charged with a crime, The Standard Speaker reported.

Jury selection for Kane's trial begins Monday in Montgomery County Court with the trial expected to conclude Friday.

Kane attempted to thwart efforts to take her to court, but failed. Five judges on the state Supreme Court denied her attempts to get the charges dismissed involving her leaking secret grand jury material in an attempt to embarrass her political and professional rivals.

The case is filled with intrigue, Pennlive.com reported.

It includes a host of public squabbles, some questionable emails and court filings filled with schemes for revenge - in all, two years of public scandals.

"This trial will just hurt Pennsylvania government even more," said Bruce Ledewitz, a legal expert who has followed the case, but has no direct involvement in it. "There will be even less public confidence than there was before. I think they'd be very happy just to have her go away."

He said odds are about 50-50 that prosecutors will reach a plea deal with Kane.

A conviction would result in Kane's removal from office, a likely prison term and the loss of her law license.

"She's not like me—retiring in a few years," Ledewitz said. "She has her whole life in front of her. What will she do if she can't practice law?"

The attorney general has maintained her innocence since she was charged in August 2015. She continued in her official capacity even after the Supreme Court suspended her license.

Gov. Tom Wolf and others have called for her resignation, to no avail.

Jury selection is crucial, experts said.

"The standard is not 'have you heard anything about this case,' " said former acting attorney general Walter Cohen, now a private attorney. "If they find a juror that said they never heard anything about Kathleen Kane, you'd wonder what rock they were hiding under."