Pa. Paid Lawyer a Grand to Stand on Constitution Center Stage

Benjamin Klubes, far left, stands on the Constitution Center stage as former Maryland AG Doug Gansler holds a press conference on December 1st, 2015 | Photo: Dan McQuade

Nice work if you can get it.

On December 1st of last year, then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane held a press conference. She showed a slideshow of pornography, racist image memes and other emails she said were sent on state computers. She announced an independent investigation into the emails led by former Maryland A.G. Doug Gansler.

Kane didn’t take questions, but Gansler — flanked by attorneys from his firm, BuckleySandler — held a press conference for the assembled media at the Constitution Center auditorium. And, thanks to a Right-to-Know request from PennLive’s Wallace McKelvey, we now know that one of those attorneys flanking Gansler made $6,160 to stand on the stage that day, as well as make a call and prep for the press conference.

Benjamin Klubes, the co-managing partner of BuckleySandler, billed the state at his regular $880-an-hour rate for that press conference. The state, per documents obtained by PennLive, paid the firm’s attorneys $385,074 in 2016 alone. In 2015, Gansler also apparently billed the state for interviews with media he did regarding the investigation. Both the press conference and most of those media calls were done before the state signed a contract with Gansler’s firm.

The report into pornographic, racist and just plain inappropriate emails shared on state computers is due to be released next week. Soon, you’ll find out what all of this government money got you.

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