Hey, Big Spender! The Scoop on Gov. Wolf's Legal Bills

Wolfy, you have some 'splainin to do! 🗣️😰

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Even though PA governor Tom Wolf has committed to running a transparent ship, it looks like we've sailed into some murky waters. 🚢🌫️ According to investigative reporters at Spotlight PA, the Office of the General Counsel is tight-lipped over why they've spent tens of thousands of dollars on private law firms.

Here’s Five Fast Facts on legal spending in the PA governor's office:

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1. ↗️ Runnin' Up That Bill - Wolf’s Office of General Counsel spent at least $367,500 over the last three years on a half dozen law firms.
2. 💰 That's Millions with an M - In the past, various state departments under the PA governor's office have spent $30 to $40 million per year on private firms and outside lawyers.
3. ⚖️ Rules? What Rules? - In 2013, Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled that general descriptions of legal services and who's being represented are public information.
4. 🤫 Give Me One Good Reason - The administration says they don't share the details because they're "sensitive", and turning it over to the public could hurt the state's legal strategy. They also say this makes it exempt from PA's open records laws. 
5. 🏛️ Order in the Court - News outlets backed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sued the state House and Senate to try to get to the bottom of things. The case went before PA’s Commonwealth Court on December 12th. Results TBD.

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🔥Bottom line: We're all about transparency when it comes to government spending. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money's going. Sure, some legal matters should be kept hush-hush, but PA citizens have a right to know why so much casheesh is going towards private law firms for the powers that be! Let's hope they release some of that info because honestly, we're nosy. 

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Thoughts on these secret legal happenings?

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