Email Might Produce The Scandal's Smoking Gun

A newly released email may tie a high ranking Pennsylvania House Democrat to the so-called "Bonusgate" scandal.  The scandal, reported earlier in this blog, is about state employees being paid for campaigning.  But, former Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese and others claim that they knew nothing about state-paid bonuses for campaign work.

The email, which was given to defense attorneys and printed today in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, may suggest otherwise and could become a "smoking gun" in the case.

"I can't thank you enough for the bonus for campaigning. I am speechless as most of us are," reportedly wrote legislative research analyst Karen Steiner to DeWeese and then-House Democratic Whip Mike Veon.

"U R welcome," came the response from DeWeese's email account. 

"Given the volume of email that comes to him and given that some of it is handled by staff, Bill does not recall this email," said spokesman Tom Andrews to the Tribune-Review. "At the time responding kindly to one of many 'thank yous' for Christmas bonuses would have been a routine matter."  DeWeese has not been charged with wrongdoing.