DePasquale plans to keep an eye on Kane

(Harrisburg) — Pennsylvania’s fiscal watchdog is offering some opinions on the financial dealings of state Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

During a press conference yesterday, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says he’s keeping an eye on Kane, because she used a substantial chunk of campaign contributions to fund her legal defense against perjury charges and appointed  former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler to review inappropriate emails exchanged on government computers.

“That contract has not been executed yet, but it is something that we are paying close attention to,” he says. To me, the most troubling part of the whole thing is how does an out-of-state attorney have jurisdiction to operate as an attorney in Pennsylvania and basically as a lead investigator for a potential prosecution. I don’t have a legal rational as to how that’s appropriate.”

DePasquale says he won’t speculate on any potential future audit.

“It would certainly be inappropriate for me to to give an opinion on what my opinion would be at the end of the audit, before the audit,” he said.

The auditor general also criticized campaign finance laws in Pennsylvania, adding to focus on Kane would ignore a larger issue.

“I get the point on asking about the attorney general,” he said. “To me that’s sort of, in a sense, ‘Look over here and miss the broader point,’ which is the reason why that’s able to happen is because the law is a joke and needs to be reformed.”