Two top Kane aides ousted from Pennsylvania’s attorney general office

    Supervisory special agent Patrick Reese was fired yesterday from his position in the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. Chief of staff Jonathan Duecker

    Supervisory special agent Patrick Reese was fired yesterday from his position in the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. Chief of staff Jonathan Duecker

    Newly sworn-in Pennsylvania Attorney General Bruce Beemer didn’t take long to make his presence felt in office. Beemer Thursday made his first major personnel change, firing two top aides of former Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

    Chief of staff Jonathan Duecker and senior supervisory special agent Patrick Reese both received official termination notices Thursday morning.

    The office declined to give any more details on the firings.

    Duecker and Reese were two of Kane’s closest confidants while she was in office.

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    They were also two of her most controversial employees — prior to joining the attorney general’s office, Duecker had been accused of sexual harassment by two women.

    Kane’s own human resources department recommended she fire him. Instead, she promoted him.

    Reese was investigated alongside Kane last year for secretly reading emails containing confidential grand jury information related to his boss’s case.

    He was convicted of contempt and sentenced to prison time, but was allowed to keep his position — and salary.

    It’s still unclear whether Beemer will allow Kane’s former first deputy Bruce Castor to stay on.Castor served as interim attorney general until Beemer took over earlier this week.

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