Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski suspends U.S. Senate campaign as political consultant's firm folds

[Freddie Stubbs]

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski suspended his U.S. Senate bid Monday evening, four days after FBI agents searched City Hall and questioned officials in connection with a grand jury investigation.

The suspension came hours after The Morning Call obtained a letter revealing that Pawlowski's campaign consultant shuttered his firm's offices Thursday, the day the investigators searched City Hall.

H Street Strategies, a consulting firm run by Pawlowski's longtime manager and friend Mike Fleck, notified an employee that he had been terminated "due to the dissolution of the corporation," via a letter signed by criminal defense attorney Brian M. Monahan.

Later Monday, Pawlowski put out a statement saying he would suspend campaigning in order to focus on "assisting in the federal investigation of Allentown contracting practices both prior to his being elected and since."

more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-allentown-ed-pawlowski-senate-race-20150706-story.html#page=1

[packman]

1. Near my old home town

So many little burgs in the Pa. hills. So much local corruption. You haven't lived politics till you live in an area where within a 10 mile radius there would be 6 or more little towns. Nepotism you wouldn't believe.

[JPZenger]

2. FBI probably already have cooperating witness

The belief is that the FBI had already nailed someone on a wiretap, and then used that person as a cooperating witness to nail other people.