Corbett Aide Denies Governor Violated Ethics By Accepting Gifts
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- A spokesman for Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett is denying any wrongdoing following a Philadelphia Daily News report alleging that the governor and his wife accepted more than $11,000 in gifts over a two-year period.
The published report says Gov. Corbett and his wife accepted the gifts in 2010 -- the year he was elected -- and 2011, his first year in office, from business executives, lobbyists, and lobbying firms.
Critics contend that Corbett may have violated the code of conduct covering the state's executive branch, something that Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley strenuously denies.
"He has not violated any ethics laws or governor's code of conduct," Harley told KYW Newsradio today. "He's permitted to accept gifts. He's fully transparent and puts them on his ethics statement, and puts that on a state web site for everybody to see."
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party, meanwhile, has filed a complaint asking the state Ethics Commission to investigate -- a move Harley dismisses as "politics."
