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Political scandals linger as Philly readies for convention
Political scandals linger as Philly readies for convention
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The streets are freshly swept, the hotel rooms are pristine, the party invitations have gone out and extra police patrols are assigned.Philadelphia is ready for the Democratic National Convention.Tougher to clean up and shine, however, is the state's political image, tarnished by recent political corruption cases that have implicated many Democrats across the state.
-In June, a longtime Philadelphia congressman, Chaka Fattah, was convicted of laundering federal grants and nonprofit funds to repay an illegal $1 million campaign loan and help family and friends.
-Last year, former state Treasurer Rob McCord left office and pleaded guilty to attempted extortion in a campaign fundraising scandal.
-Attorney General Kathleen Kane is awaiting trial on charges that she unlawfully leaked secret grand jury material to a newspaper and then lied about it under oath.
And those are just the high profile cases.The former sheriff of Philadelphia has been charged with conspiracy; traffic judges have been convicted of ticket-fixing; state lawmakers have admitted taking bribes.Jeff Jubelirer, a communications consultant who has worked on Republican campaigns, said these cases send a message about this overwhelmingly Democratic city, which could provide grist for presidential nominee Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans as the general election draws near."From a messaging standpoint, it lines up well for the Trump forces to say crooked Hillary and crooked Philadelphia," Jubelirer said. "I think we will absolutely see that as we head into the fall."
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”