Pennsylvania AP News

PETER JACKSON, Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) ― As a judge set bail Friday for 10 defendants connected to the state House Republican caucus, political observers said the latest charges provide partisan balance to Attorney General Tom Corbett's ongoing corruption probe that should work to his advantage as he campaigns for governor.

The allegations that the GOP defendants illegally spent millions of taxpayer dollars to influence the outcome of legislative campaigns should silence critics who have accused Corbett of waging a partisan witch hunt since he filed similar charges against people tied to the House Democratic caucus 16 months ago.

Corbett, a Republican, is seeking his party's nomination in next year's election.

"It blows that argument out of the water," said Christopher Borick, a professor and pollster at Muhlenberg College in Allentown who asserts that the 456-count grand jury presentment Corbett announced Thursday "gives him bona-fides as a reformer."

"Tom Corbett has more public corruption charges against officials than any (Pennsylvania) attorney general in recent history," said Terry Madonna, a professor and pollster at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

The defendants were fingerprinted and photographed at a police department just outside Harrisburg on Friday, and brought before a district judge for preliminary arraignments and bail hearings. All 10 pleaded not guilty.

Linglestown District Judge William Wenner set bail at $100,000 for the three defendants facing the most counts: Philadelphia state Rep. John Perzel, a former speaker of the House; Brett Feese, a former state representative from the Williamsport area who resigned earlier this month as the House GOP's top lawyer; and Brian Preski, a Philadelphia lawyer who is Perzel's former chief of staff.

The others were given lesser amounts, ranging from $1,000 to $50,000, of unsecured bail. They were ordered to relinquish any passports and agree not to talk to anyone mentioned in the 188-page grand jury report that had been issued Thursday.

Feese's attorney, Josh Lock, was one of several lawyers who vowed to fight the charges.

"If you have hotel reservations for the trial, don't cancel them," Lock said. "I don't think it's going to go to trial, I know it's going to go to trial."

A preliminary hearing to see if there is enough evidence for a full trial will probably take place in January or February, lawyers said. Trials for people connected to the House Democratic caucus who were charged in a parallel case are expected to occur in December and January.

Any later and the proceedings will be going on just as the 2010 gubernatorial primary is heating up — the vote is in May.

On the Republican side, it pits Corbett against at least one foe — U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach — while state Rep. Samuel Rohrer of Berks County plans to announce Tuesday whether he will make it a three-way contest. At least five candidates are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Gerlach contends that Corbett, a former U.S. attorney for western Pennsylvania who was re-elected as attorney general last year, cannot avoid conflicts of interest between his official duties and his campaign fundraising. Gerlach has called on Corbett to resign as attorney general or drop out of the governor's race.

Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley said his boss is doing the job he was elected to do and strives to avoid conflicts. Corbett has refused to accept campaign contributions from legislators since the investigation began in January 2007, said Brian Nutt, Corbett's campaign manager.

"Public corruption is not a partisan issue," Harley said.

Madonna said Corbett is the first Pennsylvania attorney general in recent memory to aggressively prosecute corruption in state government. Since before Pennsylvanians began electing the attorney general in 1980, such cases were usually handled by federal prosecutors or the Dauphin County district attorney, he said.

"The public will ultimately judge him on whether these (charges) lead to convictions," Madonna said.

Borick and Madonna both said the latest charges are unlikely to hurt Corbett in the primary, because they focus primarily on Perzel and his allies within the House Republican caucus.

"I think it will cause him some awkward moments in the Capitol, but it won't cause him awkward moments on the campaign trail," Borick said.

"It wasn't an indictment of the Republican Party," said Madonna.

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Associated Press writer Mark Scolforo contributed to this report.

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