August 15, 2015
A driver and confidant of embattled Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane remains on the job, despite being criminally charged with accessing secret grand jury information, according to NewsWorks.
Patrick Reese, a special agent who is part of Kane's protection detail, has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he rooted through the office’s emails.
That would be a direct violation of a judge's order to protect the secrecy of a grand jury that investigated Kane, who is charged with leaking grand jury information and lying about it.
Kane's spokesman told NewsWorks that Reese's employment status is "under review." A former police chief, Reese earns $99,658 annually.
His continuing employment appears to breach office policy, which says employees must be suspended without pay if they are charged with a crime related to their work.
The same rule states that employees who are convicted on work-related criminal charges "shall be terminated."
Kane has said she's innocent and will not resign.
She contended last week she was targeted as payback for uncovering a chain of “filthy” emails among state officials with inappropriate pornographic, racial and religious content.
She faces a hearing August 24 in Montgomery County, where she was indicted.
