Pennsylvania Republican Scandals | Updated List of GOP Scandals in PA

Scandal Categories

Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Congress Member & Candidate Scandals

  • Sean ParnellSean ParnellFmr. U.S. Senate Candidate
       
    11/22/21
    Strangled his wife multiple times, once kicked her out of their car on the side of the highway when she was pregnant, struck his child leaving a handprint and hit another child with a door leaving a bruise over a yearslong period
    According to court records in an order granting his ex-wife sole legal custody of their children
  • Joseph McDadeJoseph McDadeFmr. U.S. Representative
       
    2/15/07
    Pleasured himself a mere 10 to 15 feet away from an unsuspecting woman he followed from the beach to the pool at a Florida resort
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • Pat MeehanPat MeehanFmr. U.S. Representative45 Years in GOP
    1/20/18
    Propositioned an aide who was decades younger than him to become romantically involved and then made her life in the office so miserable after she rebuffed his advances that she quit and sued him for sexual harassment, which resulted in him secretly spending thousands of taxpayer dollars to settle while also being married
    Confirmed by a total of 7 office employees and acquaintances in an exclusive report by The New York Times
  • Tim MurphyTim MurphyFmr. U.S. Representative
       
    10/04/17
    Asked a woman he was having an extramarital affair with to get an abortion when she told him she thought she was pregnant while also having had voted in favor of numerous abortion restrictions against women
    According to text messages he sent to her that were obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania Republican State Legislator Scandals

  • Mike FolmerMike FolmerFmr. State Senator [R-PA]
       
    9/18/19
    Had two sexually explicit felony images of underage children on his phone and computer
    According to charging documents filed by local officials
  • Matt McCulloughFmr. State Sen. Nominee
       
    10/20/14
    Drunkenly “grabbed and squeezed” a strip club employee's chest without her consent and then refused to leave after police ordered him to
    According to a police report filed by local officials and first reported on by LevittownNow.com
  • Nick MiccarelliNick MiccarelliFmr. State Representative
       
    5/18/18
    Kicked, punched and pinned his then-girlfriend state rep Tarah Toohil by the neck to a wall inside the state Capitol
    According to an exclusive report published by The New York Times
    3/13/18
    Pinned down and raped a political consultant in her bed after she made it unambiguously clear to him that she was not interested in being intimate that evening and then smeared her by publicly outing her on social media
    The alleged victim confided in a co-worker about the assault the next morning,
    3/13/18
    Shared intimate photos of his ex-girlfriend without her knowledge or consent
    According to an exclusive report by Penn Live
    3/09/18
    Brandished his gun and threatened to kill his then-girlfriend state rep Tarah Toohil and himself, threatened to kill them both by taking the car they were in up to 100 mph and crashing it and stalked her so incessantly that a judge granted her a restraining order
    Rep. Toohil [R] was granted a restraining order against Miccarelli
  • Brian EllisBrian EllisFmr. State Representative
       
    3/20/19
    Had sex with an unconscious woman who woke up "in pain, injured and naked" in a bed next to him without any memory of having sex with him after a night of "casually drinking" less than two drinks with friends and in addition to being unable to legally consent to sex she had made it "abundantly clear" to him many times before that she was not interested in a sexual relationship, not least because he was married
    According to an exclusive report by The Philadelphia Inquirer

Pennsylvania Republican Finance Official Scandals

  • Mary ReisingerCounty Treasurer [R-PA]
       
    12/02/11
    Stole a necklace worth only $27.99 from a Sears department store by hiding it in her pocket and not paying for it when checking out with other items and then tried to flee when confronted by security which proved her guilty intentions
    She pleaded guilty to shoplifting and was ordered to take a class

Other Pennsylvania Republican Scandals

  • Shawn DenningFmr. Chief of Police [R-PA]
       
    1/25/23
    Coordinated purchasing and distributing cocaine and methamphetamine with someone who was also a confidential government informant working with the DEA by connecting them with distribution networks in Arizona and California and having the drugs delivered to Pennsylvania through the mail multiple times over a sixteen-month period
    According to charging documents filed by federal officials
  • Jeffrey ThomasJeffrey ThomasFmr. District Attorney
       
    9/23/21
    Slapped and choked a female work acquaintance and then raped her after he entered her house without permission while also presenting himself as a "tough on crime" prosecutor to the public
    According to charging documents filed by local police