How Does The Media Let Eachus Spokesman Get Away With His Comments

Back in 2009 Eachus Spokesman Brett Marcy made this statement to the press about Todd Eachus and Bonusgate.

HDC spokesman Brett Marcy said Eachus was not among the legislators who testified before the grand jury, nor was he interviewed by any law enforcement officials regarding the Bonusgate case.

In the very same article Todd Eachus had this to say.

Eachus wanted to make it clear that the subpoenas were not served by the attorney general or any law enforcement agency, but by the defense. He said he and current HDC staff have “cooperated fully” with the attorney general’s investigation.

On Decembere 4, 2009 Dennis B. Roddy and Tom Barnes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote this article, House leadership invited to testify to grand jury.

HARRISBURG -- A statewide grand jury has invited the state House majority leader, the man he displaced in that job and the state secretary of revenue to appear before the panel, a move that has presaged charges against others who received such letters in an ongoing corruption probe.

The letters went to State Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Luzerne, the House majority leader; State Rep. H. William DeWeese, D-Greene, who served as majority leader until Mr. Eachus succeeded him in a caucus shakeup; and Revenue Secretary Stephen Stetler, a former eight-term Democratic House member from York.

Eachus never testified. So let's get this straight. Eachus makes the claim he fully cooperated but his spokesman says Eachus was not among the legislators who testified before the grand jury, nor was he interviewed by any law enforcement officials regarding the Bonusgate case.

The deception doesn't stop there. Statements are being made about Michael Manzo, admitted participant in the Bonusgate proceedings.

In February, 2010 Fox News 43 out of York ran this story.

HARRISBURG - The former chief of staff to the House Democratic floor leader testified Monday that none of the people who were given bonuses out of state funds for working on campaigns ever turned down or returned the money.

Mike Manzo spent a fifth day on the stand in the theft, conspiracy and conflict-of-interest trial of former Democratic Whip Mike Veon and three of his ex-aides.

Manzo also told the jury he never asked any of the caucus lawyers directly about the legality of handing out cash rewards from the state treasury for election efforts.

"I knew what the answer would be," said Manzo, who previously testified that he knew what he was doing was wrong.

There were months when 90 percent of his e-mails concerned campaigns, Manzo said.

He said he has run his own public relations and communications company, Hurzo LLC, for about a year.

"I still design strategies for folks who work in the House," Manzo said.

Brett Marcy, a spokesman for current House Democratic Leader Todd Eachus, said Manzo has not been doing work for the caucus and is not being paid by the caucus.

That isn't what Michael Manzo said Mr. Marcy. He said he worked for folks who work in the House. However, Michael Manzo was former chief of staff for the House Democratic Caucus.

So we have a spokesman who states Eachus was never approached by law enforcement but Eachus stating he fully cooperated. We have a former chief of staff testifying about his role in Bonusgate but a spokesman stating he doesn't work for the Caucus now.

Keep the count. Brett Marcy is the spokesman for Eachus as Majority Leader. David Georges is his campaign spokesman. In this article we have a new spokesman for the House Majority Leader, Bill Thomas.

Three people need to tell us what Todd Eachus has to say. But the one person, Attorney General Tom Corbett, who asked Eachus to speak for himself was met with silence.

Eachus Has Help Wanted Ad Out

From John Micek's Mailbag:

PA House Majority Leader Todd Eachus seeks Field Director for 2010 re-election campaign.

For Todd Eachus's exclamation that he isn't worried about Tara Toohil he has opened a campaign office, conveniently next to his district office in Hazleton, and is going to put together a real campaign. Dang...

More on Today's Standard Speaker article:

Tara Toohil said Eachus' taxpayer-funded mailings that gauged residents' concerns for the "community conversations" were not necessary.

Toohil said Eachus could have knocked on doors to find that out instead of sending out the mailing to announce the meetings. Toohil also wanted to know how much was spent on the mailings.

Thomas said the mailings are directly related to constituent service and came from that fund. He said the mailings have no relationship to the upcoming election. Citing a series of meetings held last year, Thomas said, the mailings and meetings are "purely legislative" and meant to inform people.

Campaign "96 Update
Have You Seen Tom Stish? You probably have not seen him, but he has been consuming thousands and thousands of your tax dollars sending you annoying junk mail. "This is an outrage", "This certainly is an abuse of the office."---Todd Eachus March 1996

DeWeese Held Over For Trial

A hearing was held today concerning charges leveled against State Representative Bill DeWeese in the Bonusgate investigation by AG Corbett's office. DeWeese stepped down earlier this year as House Majority Whip as a result of the charges but refuses to resign his office. He won the Democratic renomination for his office by the voters in his district in the spring.

The Post Gazette reported that Kevin Sidella, one of his aides, testified earlier today about the magnitude of campaign work he performed for DeWeese at the expense of Pennsylvania taxpayers.

Legislative aide Kevin Sidella was disenchanted with his assigned tasks of arranging meals and car washes for his boss, state Rep. Bill DeWeese, and there wasn't enough legitimate work to go around.

That's why he took on campaign fundraising, Mr. Sidella testified this morning in a preliminary hearing for Mr. DeWeese, D-Waynesburg.

"There was only so much work to go around. There wasn't a lot of work left," said Mr. Sidella, who is testifying under a grant of immunity.

Prosecutors now say it was a crime for Mr. DeWeese to keep Mr. Sidella on state payroll while his work days were consumed with political work. Mr. Sidella said he maintained the campaign check book, provided talking points for Mr. DeWeese's fund-raising phone calls and dug up dirt on political opponents.

It is illegal to use state resources for political work.

As Tracey Mauriello reported this afternoon DeWeese's defense was "We all did it" mentality.

Asked whether he was concerned that political work was being done on state time, Mr. DeWeese told the grand jury this: "That was not unusual. That was part of the culture. Looking back it was wrong. We shouldn't have done it but it was part of the political culture on Capitol Hill."


Prosecutors said Ms. DeWeese's own words helped them make their case during a preliminary hearing today.

"The defendant has clearly admitted to the crimes with which he was charged," prosecutor Kenneth Brown said.

Mr. DeWeese's attorney, William C. Costopoulos, disagreed, saying the Democratic state representative from Waynesburg "has not admitted to any crime" and that the charges against him are politically motivated and petty.

Whether he is guilty will be up to a jury.

It's a wonder with that statement why DeWeese went to trial.

DeWeese encouraged his protege Todd Eachus to run for Tom Stish's seat in 1995. DeWeese and his cronies poured money into successfully getting Eachus elected and Stish ousted. DeWeese mounted Stish's parking space sign on the marble fireplace in his office, so in his words, "he would never, ever forget."

Funny how life has a way of biting one in the arse.

Here is a report from Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review outlining testimony concerning Todd Eachus's role in the Bonusgate matter.

In grand jury testimony, former aides identify him as aggressive and portray a politically ambitious lawmaker climbing the ladder in the House. He previously served as policy committee chairman and also chaired the House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Former staffer John Paul Jones said he was brought onto Eachus' staff "solely" to do political work. He said he had a "beard assignment" that he was supposed to be working on "alternative energy" issues.

"But you didn't study alternative energy?" a prosecutor asked him. "No," Jones told the grand jury.

Jones testified that Eachus wanted to spend "soft dollars" through state-paid public service announcements so the campaigns would spend less of their resources.

There were occasions, Jones testified, where he and another aide were called in to provide staff support so Eachus could make fundraising calls in his office.

From the Seattle Times: But Eachus told WNEP-TV in Scranton this week that he was shocked and saddened "to see colleagues of ours having problems. But I say this, that anyone who has created a problem should face justice."

Maybe the local Northeastern Pennsylvania media outlets would like to explain why this information hasn't made it to print here when it makes all the way to Seattle.

Kanjorski Staffers Ensnared In Ethics Controversy

The Pocono Record is publishing a report by David Pierce.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski's staffers may have violated House ethics rules by using a list of congressional interns to recruit election workers for his 2008 re-election campaign.

House rules prohibit using official government documents for electioneering.

Kanjorski Legislative Director Kate McMahon used her House e-mail account to send an attachment listing interns who had worked in the Democratic congressman's office from 2004-08. "Volunteer potential" was the message sent along with the list.

A copy of the e-mail was mailed anonymously to several publications including the Pocono Record. According to Politico, in a story published early this week, a Democratic source obtained a copy of the correspondence in an e-mail chain.

Kanjorski campaign spokesman Ed Mitchell said he couldn't verify the authenticity of this or other photocopied e-mails sent to the media. He noted some were sent on campaign-funded BlackBerry devices, which is allowed by campaign rules.

None of the interns performed campaign work on government time, he said.

"They were asked if they wanted to work in future campaigns and volunteered to do so after they left government employ," Mitchell said in a written statement to the Pocono Record. "We have implemented a new, compliant policy.".

Just a thought. Usually one issues new rules after discovering actions that need correction.