After staff controversy, Stack’s losing his security

(Harrisburg) — Governor Tom Wolf has stripped Lieutenant governor Mike Stack of his security detail and other staff following an official investigation into whether the state’s number two Democrat serially mistreated employees.

Wolf’s decision came in a short letter, which he said he hand-delivered to Stack.

It says that Stack and his wife Tonya–who was also accused of mistreating employees–will no longer have the state police detail that’s traditionally given to

Lieutenant Governors. Cleaning staff and groundskeepers in Stack’s state-provided mansion will also be limited and supervised at prearranged times only.

At a press conference, Stack had previously tried to downplay the investigation into his affairs, which was undertaken by the office of the Inspector General at Wolf’s request.

At one point, he told reporters that “anybody who knows me, who has spent time with me for a long period of time, knows that here and there I’ll have a ‘Stack Moment.’”

The situation, however, is without precedent. Never in recent state history has a governor found cause to investigate his lieutenant.

Wolf closed out his decision letter to Stack saying that “I do not delight in this decision, but I believe it is a necessary step to protect Commonwealth employees.”

The office of the Inspector General declined to tell whether it has finished its report, and said releasing it is up to the Governor and the Office of General Counsel.

Wolf had previously indicated he wouldn’t take any punitive action until he’d received the report, but his office also declined to confirm that it was finished.

In a response statement, Stack said he has apologized to Wolf for “any embarrassment the situation has caused,” and that he agrees with the governor’s decision.