Beemer confirmed as Pennsylvania attorney general
Bruce Beemer was unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate to serve as the state's attorney general until January when the winner of November's race for top state prosecutor takes office. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Pennsylvania now has its third state attorney general in just two weeks as the Senate confirmed former state Inspector General Bruce Beemer’s nomination.
Beemer, who’s served as inspector general since early July, was nominated for the attorney general spot by Gov. Tom Wolf.
Beemer had previously served as the first deputy of disgraced former Attorney General Kathleen Kane. The two ultimately clashed, and Beemer later testified against Kane at her criminal trial.
The Senate Judiciary Committee and full chamber both voted unanimously Tuesday to approve Beemer.
When asked how he’d restore honor to the troubled office, Beemer acknowledged the work that lies ahead of him.
“You have to earn it,” he said. “I think it’s going to include allowing all of the employees to do the work that they do every day. That provides honor. The second part is building some bridges with our law enforcement partners, our federal, state, and local partners.”
He also pledged to promote transparency, saying that under him, the office will have “open lines of communication.”
“I’ve already had a number of communications with heads of other agencies,” he said. “I really look forward to making that a cornerstone of what I’m trying to do.”
Beemer will serve until January, when a new, elected attorney general will take office.
He will take over for interim Attorney General Bruce Castor, who had stepped in after Kane resigned.
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