Nov 4, 2015 3 min read

You have to wonder what sort of cataclysmic event would have to occur to make Kathleen Kane step down as Pennsylvania attorney general.

Kane’s tenure as the state’s top prosecutor has been an embarrassing mess almost from the get-go. The most serious problem she faces is a criminal case in Montgomery County, where she’s been accused of charges including official oppression, obstruction of justice and perjury for allegedly leaking confidential grand jury information to a Philadelphia newspaper in an effort to strike back at a critic.

That led to the suspension of her license to practice law by the state Supreme Court.

So, to recap, the state’s top justice official and prosecutor is accused of obstructing justice and has no law license.

Kane claims she can continue doing her job because most of her duties are “administrative and ministerial.” We, and many other people, vehemently disagree. That would include her chief deputies in the AG’s office.

According to a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the four top lawyers in the office have sent Kane a letter advising that unless she hands over some of her duties to her underlings, it could damage the office and some of the cases it is handling.

Kane’s spokesman, Chuck Ardo, says she got legal advice outlining what she can and can’t do without a law license, and indicating that she could keep her job.

Ardo downplayed the letter from the AG’s top assistants, saying, “Most people understand that when you get three lawyers in a room, you are likely to hear four different opinions on the same subject.”

Hmm, let’s see. Should we back the opinions of the lawyer Kane presumably hand-picked to give her advice, or should we side with the folks – four lawyers in total agreement, we might note – who are having to potentially pick up the pieces of the disaster Kane has made of her office? We’ll side with the deputy attorneys general -First Deputy Attorney General Bruce Beemer and Lawrence Cherba, Robert A. Mulle and James A. Donahue III, who lead the office’s criminal law division, civil law section and public protection unit, respectively.

Kane seems to be operating like someone who believes she still has a bright political future. It’s true that Kane was once talked about as a potential Democratic candidate for governor or even the U.S. Senate. That ship has sailed. If she were to run again for her current office, or another, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which she could prevail in a Democratic primary, let alone a general election.

It’s way past time for Kane to get a grip, and loosen her hold on the attorney general’s office.