Kathleen Kane, Pennsylvania's head prosecutor, walked into the Montgomery County detective bureau Saturday afternoon to be arraigned on perjury and obstruction charges.
The 49-year-old attorney general, wearing a white suit, smiled at a throng of reporters shouting questions, but did not answer any as she made her way into the Norristown high-rise across from the courthouse.
Kane is accused of leaking secret grand jury information to a Philadelphia newspaper and then lying about it. Prosecutors said the information was leaked to damage the reputation of two former staffers with whom Kane had trouble.
The first woman and Democrat elected to the office, Kane admitted to releasing the information about a closed case regarding a local NAACP leader that was led by one of those staffers, but said she did not break the law.
Like the defendants she's prosecuted, Kane was fingerprinted and had a mug shot taken before appearing before a district court judge via video conference to be advised of the charges levied against her.
"We're very confident when all the facts in the case come out that she is going to be exonerated," Kane's attorney, Ross Kramer, said. "We think that as people get a full sense of what the story is in this case that the narrative will look very different from it does right now."
The attorney general gave one word answers as District Judge Cathleen Rebar advised her of her rights. Bail was set at $10,000 unsecured, so Kane was not required to post any money — only provide her signature.
Despite calls to step down from leaders including Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, Kane vowed to hold her post and run for re-election.
"A resignation would be an admission of guilt," she said earlier this week, "and I'm not guilty."
Kramer reiterated that statement Saturday, saying, "She plans to continue working in that job and being effective."
Kane won her post in a landslide 2012 election after campaigning as an alternative to the male-dominated and partisan establishment.
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She was expected to speak following the arraignment, however, she left the comments to her attorney as she got into a black SUV and left.
A formal arraignment is scheduled for August 24. Kane will make a plea during that hearing.
