Ad in Pennsylvania attorney general race vexes both candidates

    The television campaign ad that won’t go away in Pennsylvania’s attorney general race is becoming a headache for both candidates.

    Republican candidate Dave Freed is still holding the ad — a 30-second spot attacking his Democratic opponent, Kathleen Kane — at arm’s length. It’s been criticized for containing inaccuracies about Kane’s record as a prosecutor in Lackawanna County.

    Freed, the Cumberland County district attorney, has said he’s disappointed in the ad, and he points out it’s not paid for by his campaign.

    But he says Kane is still trying to blame him for it.

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    “I don’t believe that it’s the position of either campaign to call on these outside groups to act. I can’t coordinate with these outside groups. I didn’t have anything to do with this ad,” Freed said Monday. “And I’ve said clearly that I would hope that any ad that’s run will be factual.”

    A national group called the Republican State Leadership Committee paid for the ad.

    An early version accused Kane of falsely beefing up her resume as a prosecutor and being involved in cases in which two convicted rapists received minimal sentences.

    That ad was replaced by another which portrays Kane faulting other prosecutors for the light plea deals.

    Freed made his comments on WITF’s “Radio Smart Talk” program.

    He also said any responsible prosecutor would commit to reviewing how the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case was investigated and prosecuted by the attorney general’s office.

    Kane also says reviewing the Sandusky case probe would be a top priority. She has said she would look into whether political considerations explain why the investigation went on for years before charges were filed against the former Penn State assistant coach.

    Sandusky is scheduled for sentencing Tuesday.

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