Global Courant
Joe Khan, a former federal prosecutor and Bucks County attorney, has announced his bid for Pennsylvania attorney general. of the right to vote against Donald Trump and his henchmen is definitely what I’m most proud of,” said Khan, whose Philadelphia suburban constituency narrowly voted for President Joe Biden.
A former federal prosecutor who led extensive corruption investigations in Allentown and Reading said Wednesday he is running for Pennsylvania attorney general, becoming the second Democrat to seek the office that will fall vacant after next year’s election.
Joe Khan, 47, recently quit his job as an attorney for Bucks County before announcing that he was seeking the state’s top law enforcement office.
During his time as an attorney, he defended the county’s election administration against Republican efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 election in the presidential battleground state.
He also sued social media companies, accusing them of fomenting a youth mental health crisis, and helped consolidate support among county councils for a plan to distribute money from the state’s settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors.
“Defending voting rights against Donald Trump and his henchmen is definitely the one I’m most proud of,” Khan said.
Prior to that, Khan served as a federal prosecutor for ten years and six years for the city of Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale speaks at a Pennsylvania Democratic Party fundraiser on Nov. 1, 2019, in Philadelphia. DePasquale, a Democratic nominee for attorney general, has received his first major primary challenger in the form of ex-Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
As an assistant US attorney, Khan led a pay-to-play corruption investigation into town halls in Allentown and Reading that yielded more than half a dozen guilty verdicts and, after Khan left, convictions from the towns’ mayors.
He ran for city district attorney in 2017 and lost in the Democratic primary.
Another Democrat, former state auditor general Eugene DePasquale, announced his candidacy last week.
Khan, of Doylestown, received his law degree from the University of Chicago. The Philadelphia native has a brother who serves in the state House of Representatives and started a political action committee dedicated to helping candidates who — like him — are children of immigrants. Khan’s father, an engineer, emigrated from Pakistan.
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The Attorney General’s office has a budget of approximately $120 million a year and plays a critical role in arresting drug traffickers, combating gun trafficking, defending state laws in court and protecting consumers from predatory practices.
The office helped lead attorneys general in settlement talks with pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers over the opioid crisis and played a central role in defending the integrity of the 2020 Pennsylvania presidential election against repeated attempts to overturn it in state and federal courts. made by Trump’s campaign and Republican allies.
Gov. Josh Shapiro stepped down as attorney general in January when he was sworn in as governor. He appointed his deputy, Michelle Henry, to finish the last two years of his term as attorney general.
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Henry, a former Bucks County district attorney, has said she does not plan to run for the office in 2024.
