PA Gov. Tom Corbett, In Tricky Spot, Knew Of Abuse Scandal As Attorney General

Submitted by Mary Lyons

As Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Tom Corbett began investigating the Penn State abuse case in 2009.

He had convened a grand jury, and his prosecutors had taken testimony. But when he ran for governor, and even after he took office, he was obligated to keep the investigation secret, even as he saw the university officials at the center of the investigation doing little to address the substance of the inquiry.

“He was upset about the inaction,” said Kevin Harley, who worked with Mr. Corbett in the attorney general’s office and is now his press secretary. “He knew what witnesses were going to the grand jury even though he was running for governor. So then he became governor, and he knew at some point that this day would be coming. He just didn’t know when it would be.”

By: