An email scandal has hit the state of Pennsylvania that has been called "Porngate." Included in the scandal are at least two state Supreme Court justices and other officials from the office of the attorney general.
The email server showed messages, released over the past 15 months by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, that contain rape and sexual assault jokes, photos that made fun of African Americans and insults at people who have weight problems or have different sexual orientation or religion, reports the Washington Post.
Bruce Ledewitz, associate dean of academic affairs and law professor at Dequesne University School of Law, describes some of the emails as disgusting since it contain emails full of misogyny, racism, homophobia and white privilege. He comments, "You get the impression that every white male office holder in the state is a creep."
An example of the racist emails is the photo of a white man who prevents two black men from getting pieces of fried chicken from a bucket, with the caption, "BRAVERY At Its Finest."
Revealing the messages has affected Kane whose license as a lawyer was suspended and is battling efforts to remove her from the state Senate over felony perjury and multiple misdemeanor charges in an unrelated case because she allegedly leaked grand jury information to shame a political rival and she allegedly lied about it under oath.
But Fusion reports that some of the racist and misogynist emails come from Kane's twin sister. An example of her sister's email is a picture of a smiling woman who has a black eye and bruised lips. The photo has the caption: "Domestic violence - because sometimes, you have to tell her more than once."
G. Terry Madonna, a political observer and director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, "Nothing in Pennsylvania [political] history even comes close to this drama, with the complexity and ongoing nature of this, the potential ramifications and multiple moving parts."