Abuse of Power

Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10) pushed for Jeffrey Clark to become acting Attorney General and use the DOJ’s powers to pressure state lawmakers in Georgia to contest the state’s election outcome. The plan was dropped when several DOJ leaders threatened to resign.

We thank former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt for his testimony today, and for his continued willingness to speak the truth in the face of lies and harrowing threats. 

In the weeks after January 6, 2021, Common Cause Pennsylvania called on Rep. Perry to resign. “Instead of upholding the Constitution, as he swore to do in his Oath of Office, he has subverted the very democracy we elected him to serve and protect.”

In the wake of the last massive City Hall scandal in the early 2000s, a wave of reforms followed, including restrictions on pay-to-play contracting, campaign finance limits, lobbying disclosure, and ethics oversight. But as this trial made clear, glaring vulnerabilities remain. To move forward, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania should start with reforms in three key areas.

“When you’re in a position of leadership, you have a responsibility, to tell the truth,” Executive Director of Common Cause Pa., Khalif Ali said. He says Perry should step down for sowing seeds of mistrust in our democracy. “You can’t just arbitrarily object and call into question the integrity of the process that was questioned in previous elections in which Republicans were successful.”

It is clear from what we’ve seen in this report that these men do not respect the will of the voters. No elected official should remain in office, if they do not respect the voters who put them there.