One day after hitting out at reports implicating him in wheeling-and-dealing in the Capitol cafeteria, State Sen. Scott Wagner tried to stay above the fray.
“The lie has been told that I am a backroom-deal guy, and I participated in a backroom deal, and I’m going to be very diplomatic today,” Wagner told abc27 Wednesday. “This is not true, and I’m very hot under the collar right now about this whole thing.”
On Tuesday, Scott Harper told abc27 he had been offered judgeships and state government legal work at a “fishy” lunchroom meeting with Wagner, and his chief of staff Jason High, in exchange for dropping his bid for the GOP’s nomination for the 31st Senate District.
Wagner has backed State Rep. Mike Regan to take the step up and replace longtime Republican State Sen. Pat Vance, and Harper is claiming Wagner wants him out of the way.
Harper and Regan (and Wagner) are from York County, while the other two candidates – Jon Ritchie and Brice Arndt – are from Cumberland County.
“Me being out helps Mike Regan. With Brice Arndt being in, helps Mike Regan,” Harper said Tuesday. “I think it’s a manipulation on possibly Scott Wagner’s behalf.”
After Dennis Owens of abc27 further pressed Harper on the Feb. 10 cafeteria meeting, the York lawyer admitted Wagner was not the one who offered the judgeships and legal work, though he was at the table while his chief of staff and Arndt campaign consultant Matt Plummer made their overtures.
Wagner, chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, is particularly incensed by the notion that he tried to manipulate the process or handpick a candidate.
In 2014, Wagner withdrew from the race for the GOP nomination in the special election to replace Mike Waugh after the SRCC threw their weight behind Ron Miller. Instead, Wagner became the first write-in candidate to win a PA State Senate seat.
“There are a lot of people gaming for me right now, because I’m disrupting things in Harrisburg, and I don’t do backstabbing,” Wagner said. “I’ll stab you in the front. You’ll see the knife coming.”
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16 Responses
Wagner has his hands in everything, including threats to primary incumbents if they don’t vote his way. A true disgrace to our country.
“whether the promisor had actual ability to deliver on the promise (i.e.- you drop out of the race, I’ll get you a judgeship) is irrelevant” LOL
You are irrelevant.
I’ll offer him 2 judgeships. If he accepts by Monday, then it’ll be 3. Guaranteed!
Pat, it’s a violation of both PA bribery and the PA election code to offer something of value (like: drop out of this PA GOP senate race and we’ll get you a PA judgeship, or contribute $$$$ to a favorite charity, or hire your child….) although technically it’s a violation of federal election law, the Public Integrity section of US D of J won’t initiate a prosecution unless the promise is made by a high value elected target (like Vince Fumo , etc.) a local DA would have to institute criminal charges against the maker of this campaign promise . The PA AG office could also institute such a prosecution, with or without a grand jury’s presentment. NB under the law, whether the promisor had actual ability to deliver on the promise (i.e.- you drop out of the race, I’ll get you a judgeship) is irrelevant.
PA political corruption is so interesting, eh ?
Isn’t Scott Wagner supporting a bunch of different candidates in House and Senate primary races around PA? He’s alienating 50% of the Republican voter base but also expects them to support him when he runs for governor.
I have been in this game for 60 years( I am an old crusty SOB) and I have never met anyone with more integrity than Scott Walker! You will always know where he is coming from, in my humble opinion Harper is a liar!!!!!!!
I can’t wait until they investigate Jason High for doing political work on government time. Jason High flies all over the state to meet political candidates.
Wagner already bought “film star” Camera Bartolota a Senate seat. Why stop now?
Ron Miller would have been soooo much better. What is happening to the Republican party? All we are electing are whack jobs.
Effing awesome. #Winning
Load-mouthed moron Wagner is.
Scott Wagner, what a class act. Does being in the carting business automatically make you talk like a mafia don? What’s next, fist fights on the Senate floor like a Philly Council meeting?
wing – The Feds would have jurisdiction as well, right?
“Scott Harper told abc27 he had been offered judgeships and state government legal work at a “fishy” lunchroom meeting with Wagner…” nothing like a public accusation that criminal law and election code is being violated by wagner. offering something of value like a judgeship in exchange for withdrawing from a race is a crime. gotta wait for the PA AG to do something now…
Effff him and his effffing collar.
You can’t polish a turd with a stone. He should change his first name to Donald it would be more fitting.
“I’ll stab you in the front. You’ll see the knife coming.”
While his foot is at your throat, apparently.