FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland D-Delaware www.pahouse.com/Kirkland

PLBC chairman releases statement supporting DeWeese as majority leader

HARRISBURG, Aug. 5 – State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, today issued the following statement on behalf of caucus members regarding recent calls for House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese to resign his leadership position:

"Members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus are standing firm behind the current leadership. We believe the calls by some for the majority leader to step down are premature and a rush to judgment.

"The majority leader has not been implicated in the attorney general's investigation, and he has conducted himself in a professional and appropriate manner throughout the investigation. He has made every effort to cooperate himself, and to have caucus members and staff cooperate with the investigation.

"Representative DeWeese has been a passionate and effective majority leader. We believe any decision at this time on whether he should remain majority leader is premature and wrong.

"There have been too many examples in our history of innocent people convicted in the media and the court of public opinion. The attorney general's investigation, and any subsequent court proceedings, should be allowed to play out. Once that happens, we will all be in a position to take informed and appropriate action regarding our leadership at that time."

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