The West Virginia Department of Administration and the Division of Highways have been subpoenaed as part of a federal grand jury investigation, officials confirmed today.
Charleston lawyer and former special prosecutor Dwane Tinsley has been appointed as a special assistant attorney general representing the two agencies.
Tinsley says both Administration and Highways were subpoenaed for documents, and that he became involved in the case yesterday. He says no individuals were subpoenaed, only the agencies.
He did not elaborate on what kind of documents the feds are seeking.
“We’re in the process of trying to get those documents together,” Tinsley said, “and that’s all I know.”
This is certainly bad timing for Gov. Joe Manchin’s Senate run. His office just released this statement, saying the state “has not been informed that Governor Manchin or any other state employee is under investigation.”
Here’s the governor’s statement in full:
“The State of West Virginia was served this week with two federal subpoenas.
“Neither subpoena was directed to Governor Manchin or the Governor’s Office. No individual in the Governor’s Office was served with a subpoena.
“The Governor has directed State officials to fully cooperate and comply expeditiously.
“Governor Manchin wants to get to the bottom of the issue as soon as possible.
“The State has not been informed that Governor Manchin or any other state employee is under investigation.”
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If there were any reporters in this State with either some nads, some talent, or some ambition, this story would be more than an after thought on a fifth rate blog in a sixth rate paper. This has to be the only state in the country where state government is on the receiving end of grand jury subpoenas and the press is kind of enough to limit their reporting to making sure everyone “knows” the governor is not named in the subpoenas.
If Mr. Kabler spent half as much time actually reporting instead of ensuring his readers know how insightful and prescient he is, he’d win the Pulitizer Prize. Instead, most of Kabler’s “reporting” consists of his own personal predictions, then later reminding everyone that about them. Any reporter who’s been in the business for more than 20 years should know better than to ever use “I” in any story or column but if someone put $5.00 in a jar for every time Kabler used “I” in a column about himself and his brilliant insights and sage observations (usually the obvious by the way), he or she would retire in a few short years.
Hey folks down there in the basement, Joe says “thanks” for making sure everyone knows that he’s not under investigation! I will personally send of your names to the Pulitzer nominating committee.
No wonder this state is such a backwater sh** t hole of political corruptions. No one’s at the wheel.