Whether it was an innocent show of family support, an intentional decoy or a mixture of both, Kathleen Kane’s twin sister caused a bit of confusion during an appearance at the Montgomery County Courthouse Monday.
Kane, 49, followed an entourage of law enforcement agents and her twin sister Ellen Granahan Goffer as she walked by a corridor filled with reporters and photographers. The moment caught the media off-guard as they began taking pictures of Goffer, who was dressed in black, mistaking her for her twin sister. With the cameras focused on Goffer, Kane, who was dressed in red, calmly walked behind her as media members began to realize they had taken photos of the wrong sister.
Kane, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, was in court for the first evidence hearing on charges she leaked grand jury material to the press, lied about it under oath and ordered top aides to illegally snoop through computer files to keep tabs on the investigation that followed.
During the hearing, a judge ordered Kane to stand trial on the charges. The ruling came after Kane's lawyer tried to get at least some of the charges dropped. After the hearing, Kane made no comment as she exited the courthouse and left in a SUV. Her formal arraignment is scheduled for October 14.
Kane is charged with one felony count of perjury, and misdemeanor counts of official oppression, obstruction and false swearing. She has denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors allege she leaked grand jury information from a 2009 case to embarrass a rival prosecutor. According to prosecutors, Kane increasingly focused on lawyers who challenged her decisions, including career prosecutor Frank Fina, who revived a statehouse corruption case after moving to the Philadelphia district attorney's office.
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