Candidate criticized for taking donation from ‘disgraced’ politician
Former Congressman Tim Murphy resigned amid scandal in October — and though he’s barely surfaced publicly in the four months since, he is still roiling the local political scene, both in a Republican nomination that has already happened — in the race to replace him — and in a nomination that has yet to come.
On Wednesday, Bryan Kline, who is running for the state House seat in the 54th District, denounced a rival Republican, Michael Korns, for accepting a $1,000 donation from Mr. Murphy’s political committee last year. Though Mr. Murphy stepped down, his political committee is still active and had nearly $1.28 million in the bank at the end of 2017.
“Michael Korns should get rid of disgraced Congressman Tim Murphy’s donation immediately,” said Mr. Kline in a statement. Referring to reports that Mr. Murphy had encouraged a mistress to have an abortion during a pregnancy scare, Mr. Kline said, “Taking funds from a phony pro-life conservative is unacceptable.”
Mr. Korns, who chairs the GOP committee in Westmoreland County, dismissed the attack. “I’ve taken a pledge to decline a state pension and to decline any per diems. Bryan Kline hasn’t done those things, and he’s trying to distract from that. I have no interest, and the voters have no interest, in this silly stuff in the newspaper.”
Mr. Korns said he’d known Mr. Murphy since “working on his very first congressional campaign in 2002. Tim made a very bad mistake, and he did the right thing by resigning. But that doesn’t change the fact that his donors want to support pro-life, Republican candidates.”
Mr. Kline, who is Westmoreland County clerk of courts, countered that it was Mr. Korns who was trying to distract voters in the district, which includes sections of Westmoreland and Allegheny counties. “He’s just throwing the pension out to avoid talking about the money he accepted.”
A larger beneficiary of Mr. Murphy’s support last year was state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, a South Hills Republican who sought to replace Mr. Murphy in Congress.
In mid-December, Mr. Murphy’s election committee contributed $4,000 to Guy for Congress, the committee that financed Mr. Reschenthaler’s campaign.
Mr. Murphy also supported Mr. Reschenthaler through a separate “leadership PAC,” a committee politicians use to support each other: Mr. Murphy’s Come Back PAC gave Guy for Congress $1,651.27 for “debt retirement” late last year.
In addition, Mr. Murphy’s committee gave $15,000 to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, which Mr. Reschenthaler chairs and which seeks to elect Republicans to state office. Before serving in Congress, Mr. Murphy had been a state senator himself.
Mr. Murphy’s campaign contributions to Mr. Reschenthaler were dated after he failed to secure the Republican nomination for Mr. Murphy’s 18th Congressional District seat. Party leaders backed state Rep. Rick Saccone at a November gathering. There were rumors within the party that Mr. Reschenthaler was Mr. Murphy’s preferred candidate: Mr. Murphy told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in October that he had not been active on Mr. Reschenthaler’s behalf.
“I’m not shocked” Mr. Murphy contributed to Mr. Reschenthaler, said state Sen. Kim Ward. The Westmoreland County Republican also sought the seat and, many party observers say, blocked Mr. Reschenthaler’s victory by lining up support for Mr. Saccone instead. “I guess [Mr. Murphy] needs to unload his money, but I sure wouldn’t want his money in my campaign coffers.”
Ms. Ward added that before the Senate Republican Campaign Committee accepts Mr. Murphy’s $15,000, “I think they should find out what his intentions are.”
Mr. Kline agreed. “I think anybody that received a [Murphy] donation should return it or donate it to a prolife cause,” he said.
Mr. Reschenthaler did not respond to calls through his office Thursday. Neither did Senate Republican Campaign Committee executive director Tracy Hall.
Campaign finance records showed that while Mr. Murphy’s campaign cut the check on Dec. 20, the Senate campaign had yet to cash it by year’s end.
Political consultant Dennis Roddy, whose firm Coldspark represents Mr. Murphy, said, “Ever since Kim Ward was denied the Republican nomination, she and those on her side have been blaming everyone but themselves.” Stoking resentment of the issue “is pure, bloodyminded spite,” he said.
Ms. Ward and other Republicans also cast a suspicious eye on Coldspark itself: The firm previously represented Mr. Reschenthaler and currently represents Mr. Korns, and some suspect that the giving reflects ties through the firm. Both Mr. Roddyand Mr. Korns scoffed at that notion. “You win a race, and people see that and come to you as clients,” Mr. Roddy said.