Anyone looking for past, and possibly future, member of Congress 71 year old Marjorie Margolies (formerly Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky) to be a new and better Democrat in Congress from the open blue PA-13 (seat is being given up by Rep. Allyson Schwartz to run for Governor) must be having second thoughts. Ms. Margolies is publicly supporting an indicted supporter, after the criminal indictment for corruption.
Democratic State Senator LeAnna Washington was indicted on March 12 for corruption by our new Democratic state Attorney General (so not a partisan witch hunt). For example, Sen. Washington has for years been using her state paid employees to do political and personal work, one basically full time for months - on state time, in state offices and using state equipment. Seven of her current or former employees testified before the criminal grand jury (so it is not a she said / he said type of criminal claim). Sen. Washington had one or more of her state employees work from February to July of the year to plan the state Senator's annual July birthday bash, thus misusing from $30,000 to $100,000 or more of state paid resources since 2005.
When one of her employees who had received ethics training had the courage to remind the state Senator that it is in violation of PA state law for state paid employees to be required to do such personal and political work, the state Senator replied: "I am the f-----g senator, I do what the f--k I want, and ain't nobody going to change me. ... I have been doing it like this for 17 years. So stop trying to change me." Sen. Washington fired the employee after he tried to obey the law.
In the last few years, a sitting State Supreme Court justice and a number of state senators and representatives have been convicted of similar crimes - using their state paid staffs illegally to do political and personal work.
The cesspool in the state capitol Harrisburg needs to be drained and cleaned.
For Democratic candidate for Congress Marjorie Margolies to come to the defense of her corrupt supporter, after the release of the 30-page grand jury report, is extremely disturbing.
The 71 year old Ms. Margolies has been accused during the current campaign of being out of touch. She seems to represent the same old same old politics.
Voters of PA-13 have 3 other choices on the ballot, and perhaps may be motivated by Ms. Margolies' high tolerance of public corruption to select someone else for the Democratic nomination.
Philadelphia Inquirer lead article of March 13, 2014 "Charges Filed Against Senator - She allegedly used her legislative staff to raise campaign funds" and Philadelphia Inquirer editorial March 14, 2014 "Obscene allegations".