Corbett faces fallout from trooper transport of budget chief’s wife

A controversy is brewing over a Pennsylvania state trooper’s use of a state vehicle to drive home the budget secretary’s wife after she was arrested on charges of driving under the influence.

Some analysts agree the incident has become a public matter, especially given Gov. Tom Corbett’s history of prosecuting the misuse of state resources.

It wasn’t a public matter when Georgina Zogby, wife of state budget secretary Charles Zogby, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence after fleeing from police.

But after it was reported that a state trooper from the governor’s personal security detail received a call from Georgina Zogby at the governor’s mansion, and drove a state car to pick her up and take her home–then the incident became a public story.

Chris Borick, associate professor of political science at Muhlenberg College, said it’s fair to ask questions about how the state trooper handled the situation.

“Given that Governor Corbett built his reputation in many ways upon ferreting out and prosecuting abusive power and misuse of state resources, he always is going to be looked at–and his staff and administration are going to be viewed–under a very narrow lens,” Borick said.

A spokesman for the State Police says the trooper was acting on his own judgment, and his decision doesn’t reflect State Police policy.