Duvan permanently appoints Peter Caruso as Rod Penora's successor

GRASSADELLIA CITY -- Damoign Gov. Jenna Duvan (N) has permanently appointed Peter Caruso as Damoign's next attorney general.

Duvan previously appointed Caruso, a former local prosecutor, to the AG post last year, when former Attorney General and Governor Rod Penora stepped down due to corruption charges.

Caruso, 46, had been serving in an interim position until now. His permanent appointment today means he will serve out the remainder of Penora's term, which expires in January 2025.

"There's a reason I appointed Peter Caruso last year to the attorney generalship," Duvan said at a press conference in Middleboro today.

"Peter is principled, he is knowledgeable, he is empathetic, he is driven, and he believes in justice for all Damoignites," said Duvan.

He's planning on seeking a full term in the attorney generalship in the fall election, his office confirmed today.

Penora was indicted on state corruption charges back in 2020, but won election to the AG post anyway, despite the charges. He stayed in office until last year, when he was indicted by federal authorities for  alleged corruption and misuse of office crimes that spanned state lines.

The former governor did receive some good news this week, however.

On Monday, state prosecutors announced they had reached a plea agreement with Penora's legal team.

Penora (N) will plead guilty to lesser charges, all misdemeanors. He will also have to forfeit his law license for one year, at which time, it will be reinstated.

The federal charges, however, which are more serious and pose a more severe penalty, are still active. Penora has long maintained his innocence on all charges, calling his prosecution "a witch hunt" and "a political hit job."

However, sources close to Penora say he is willing to settle if it means avoiding more serious consequences.

"Gov. Penora is ready to get his life back. He has been fighting these false charges for the last four years, and he is ready to be done with all this nonsense," his attorney, Charles Nuckles, told the National Press Federation (NPF).

Federal Attorney General Susan Pittman has not indicated whether her agency is willing to make a deal. Penora has long had a strained relationship with President Jim McCaren. 

Pittman works for McCaren, although the president has stayed out of the investigation, Pittman told lawmakers last week in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Penora's alleged corruption has caused a political firestorm for both McCaren and Jenna Duvan, with both Nationalist leaders being pressured to pardon Penora.

Duvan told reporters back in January that she was "open" to the possibility of pardoning Penora on his state charges. However, his recent plea agreement, which will likely result in little-to-no jail time, means a pardon is less desired.

McCaren has not said if he would pardon Penora on the federal charges. The president has remained tight-lipped on the matter since the federal charges were laid.

Conservatives have used the issue to criticize Nationalists for fostering corruption.

CNS candidates for Damoign governor, who are vying to take on Duvan in the fall general election, have used Penora's legal troubles as a cudgel to attack Duvan.

"The fact that Jenna Duvan would even consider pardoning Rod Penora for his corrupt and illegal behavior is unfathomable," Conservative Mercer Diego, who previously ran and is currently running against Duvan for governor, told the NPF last week.

Pat Leemore, the current frontrunner in the CNS primary race for Damoign governor, told The Grassadellia City Times she was "bewildered" when Duvan announced that she would consider pardoning her predecessor.

"I think Rod Penora wants to run for governor again. I think that's the issue. He can't run for governor if he's a convicted felon; the state constitution forbids that. So he either needs the charges to be reduced, to go away completely, or he needs to be pardoned. I think that's what this is all about," Leemore told the Times. "But when she said she was considering it, my jaw dropped. Someone who allegedly violated their oath of office and misused their office for political and personal reasons. That person cannot be trusted to hold public office again," said Leemore.

Penora was accused of a plethora of crimes, including ordering subordinates to investigate political opponents on false pretenses. The former governor, who is known for his abrasive personality and scorched-earth political tactics, is also alleged to have threatened prosecution to political adversaries, to have illegally obtained documents and surveillance, and to have forged documents. He also, allegedly, covered up his crimes by bribing subordinates with money and job promotions in exchange for their silence.

He continues to maintain his innocence. 

"I am not guilty of any of these damn charges. It's all lies. It's all fabrication. It's all political retribution for my policies and for people who are mad at me because I didn't reward them when I was governor," he told reporters last week, as he walked into a federal courthouse in Middleboro.

Penora is not in jail, he is out on $1.5 million bond. The conditions of his bond dictate that he cannot leave the state of Damoign and he cannot have contact with anyone involved in the case.

No matter how his federal case turns out, whether it goes to trial or is settled with another plea agreement, the former governor will not be running for office anytime soon, he said last week.

"I have no plans to run for anything," Penora told reporters. "My plan is to clear my name, clear the charges, and go home and spend time with my family, who I've been robbed of spending time with over the last four years."

Penora's absence from the ballot is likely to benefit Peter Caruso, who will seek his first full term in November.

However, Nationalist Assemblymen John Blair is also seeking the attorney generalship.

On the Conservative side, Assemblyman John DeGallio of Columbus is running for the position.

Conservatives have never won Damoign's attorney generalship, so a win by DeGallio would be historic.

The Conservative party is also seeking to win Damoign's secretary of state seat. The party has never won that position, either. It is currently held by Nationalist Rob Mercheck, who has served since statehood.