Report: Feds Seek Kenney’s Campaign PAC Records

Photo by Matt Rourke/AP

This afternoon, Philadelphia magazine’s Jared Brey wrote that Mayor Jim Kenney’s alliance with electricians union leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty is looking worse and worse in light of the FBI investigation of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98.

In a matter of hours, things managed to go further south for Kenney.

NewsWorks’ Dave Davies broke the news that federal agents have requested documents from Kenney’s campaign committee.

“The focus of the probe isn’t clear, but federal authorities this week sought documents from Kenney’s campaign fund, political adviser Jessie Bradley has confirmed,” Davies wrote. “Bradley said she couldn’t say what records were sought, but that the campaign is assembling the documents and will comply with the request.”

Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for Kenney, has said repeatedly that the FBI has not interviewed Kenney or anyone in his administration. She has also said that the Kenney administration has no reason to think that it is the target of the FBI investigation.

Hitt told NewsWorks that the recent request “was made of the campaign and not Kenney personally,” and that Kenney “has not retained an attorney.”

Three weeks ago, the FBI raided the offices of Councilman Bobby Henon, a top Dougherty ally, as well as Dougherty’s home and Local 98’s headquarters. The Inquirer has reported that the FBI is, among other things, looking into the union’s backing of the 2015 campaigns of Kenney and Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, who is John’s brother.

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