Amidst Scandal, Kane’s Spokesman Departs

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Kathleen Kane’s spokesman, Joe Peters, is out after eight months on the job — right when his boss is embroiled in scandal.

Peters was Kane’s third press secretary since she took office in January 2013. Kane’s first deputy, Adrian King, would not say whether Peters’ departure was related to last week’s events nor would he provide detail about Peters’ reasons.

Since a March 16 story in the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that Kane shut down a corruption investigation, in which Philadelphia legislators were recorded allegedly taking payoffs, she has taken heat in newspaper editorials.

Peters, a former Scranton police officer, was hired as senior executive deputy attorney general in charge of communications in July.

 The Inquirer adds a statement from Kane:

“Some of our senior staffers are personal friends of mine that agreed to come to the Office of Attorney General for a finite period of time to transition the office and execute my vision,” Kane said the statement. “Joe Peters is one of them. He stayed for far longer than he probably had in mind and I’m grateful to him for that. Everyone in the Office of Attorney General wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”