Free Republic

. ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — The FBI set up an immunity agreement with British ex-spy Christopher Steele’s main source shortly before the bureau made Igor Danchenko a paid confidential informant in early 2017, special counsel John Durham’s trial revealed. Danchenko was on the FBI's payroll as a confidential human source from March 2017 to October 2020, as shown by Durham in court filings, before he was charged in November 2021 with five counts of making false statements to the bureau. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers claim the FBI will praise his work for the bureau. Durham prosecutor Michael...

After a more than a year of nonstop campaigning, fundraising and crisscrossing state travel, Dan Onorato can console himself that he was just one of many Democrats swept under in a national Republican wave year. It is what happened at home that must concern him. The Allegheny County executive lost his home county in the governor's race to Republican Tom Corbett, an indignity in a county where his party has 2.3 times as many votes. That has to be on his mind -- and those of possible GOP or Democratic rivals -- as he considers running for an unprecedented third...

Republican Tom Corbett handily won the governorship last night beating Democrat Dan Onorato. The unofficial tally with 53 districts -- 40 in Philadelphia and 13 in Delaware County -- to go was 2,136,683 votes to 1,783,581. With Republicans retaining control of the state Senate and winning the state House, Pennsylvania can make the elephant its official mascot for at least the next two years. The senate race was much closer than expected and not called until after midnight when Democrat Joe Sestak conceded to Republican Pat Toomey. The unofficial tally as of midnight was 1,993,704 votes for Toomey to 1,916,284...

Republican Tom Corbett has defeated Democrat Dan Onorato in the race for Pennsylvania governor.

Pennsylvania's leading gun violence-prevention organization, CeaseFire PA, has endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato. The gun-control advocates support Onorato's position on a particular piece of legislation. The "Castle Doctrine" bill lawmakers may send to the governor's desk expands the definition of personal property and removes the duty to retreat. In effect, it would allow people to defend themselves with deadly force when attacked. Onorato opposes the legislation.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- For the first time in the general-election campaign, the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race between Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Dan Onorato is too close to call, according to a poll released Wednesday. The statewide survey by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster shows Corbett, the state attorney general, backed by 36 percent and Onorato, the elected executive of Allegheny County, with 32 percent among voters who said they are likely to cast ballots in the Nov. 2 election. About one-third remained undecided. In August, the same pollster gave Corbett an 11-point lead over Onorato and had about one-third...

PITTSBURGH -- A Dan Onorato campaign worker is facing felony drug charges after she was arrested at a campaign office in Lawrenceville. Lauren Lynn McDonnel was charged with felony conspiracy to manufacture drugs. Police said they found 28 marijuana plants in the basement of her home on Belgreen Place in Oakland. State trooper and U.S. Postal inspectors searched the house after smelling a strong odor of marijuana coming out of the front door, police said. Investigators said they were initially called to the house to track a package from Los Angeles that police said contained 12 ounces of marijuana. McDonnell...

The Reuters/Ipsos poll released, today , has Republican Pat Toomey up 47-37 percent among likely voters over Democrat Joe Sestak in the Pennsylvania Senate race. Among registered voters, a category historically more favorable to the Democrats, Toomey is up 40-37 percent. Meanwhile, the latest Rasmussen Poll has Toomey up 45-39 percent among likely voters with Toomey ahead 48-42 percent if leaners are factored in. In the governor's race, Reuter/Ipsos has Republican Tom Corbett head of Democrat Don Onorato 49 percent to 34 percent. In other election news, Sestak has launched his first attack ads in which he accuses Toomey to...

Congressmen Jason Altmire and Tim Murphy have previous engagements. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Rep. Mike Doyle are out of town on anniversary trips with their wives. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato will be campaigning in Philadelphia. When President Obama and Sen. Arlen Specter land at Pittsburgh International Airport today, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will receive them by himself. The rest of the region's top elected officials declined White House invitations to attend Obama's speech at Carnegie Mellon University this afternoon, their offices said.

Republican State Attorney General Tom Corbett is near the critical 50% mark in his race against Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato for governor of Pennsylvania. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Pennsylvania, taken Wednesday night, finds Corbett earning 49% support to Onorato’s 36%. Four percent (4%) prefer another candidate in the race, and 10% remain undecided. Both men won their parties’ respective primaries on Tuesday. Last month, Corbett posted a 45% to 36% lead over Onorato in a hypothetical match-up. In surveys stretching back to December, Corbett, who has long been viewed as the likely...

PITTSBURGH - A stiff drink comes with a stiff tax in Pittsburgh and surrounding towns these days, and that has made the county executive public enemy No. 1 in some quarters, reviled by name in song and on bar bills. Even comedians have gotten into the act, complaining that rising drink tabs meant fewer people coming to see them perform and pouring wine and liquor into a river in a mock restaging of the Boston Tea Party. The 10 percent drink tax, in effect since January, was pushed along by Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato to subsidize public transit. The...