"We are sickened and disturbed by the charges brought against Mike Folmer yesterday. We have reviewed the the criminal complaint and spoke with Mike Folmer early this morning to insist on his resignation from the Senate," read a statement from Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman. "We are in receipt of his letter of resignation and the 48th Senatorial District is now vacant."
Sen. Folmer has resigned pic.twitter.com/VO2lhwW1fl
— Pennsylvania Capital-Star (@PennCapitalStar) September 18, 2019
Folmer is a fairly prominent figure in Pennsylvania politics. He, up until last night, chaired the Senate's State Government committee, one of the most powerful positions in the chamber. He was responsible for ferrying very prominent pieces of legislation through the state's upper chamber.
The Attorney General office received a tip from social media platform Tumblr, which discovered that a user had uploaded an image of child pornography on the app. The AG office then secured Folmer's phone with a search warrant on Tuesday and found images of child pornography on his phone.
"I will continue to say it — no one is above the law, no matter what position of power they hold," said Shapiro in a press release. "I will continue to work to protect children and hold those who abuse them accountable."
State Senate Republicans removed Folmer from his committee chair after the announced charges, and Gov. Tom Wolf (D-York) called for Folmer's resignation. A joint statement from Senate GOP leaders Scarnati and Corman condemned Folmer last night and said that further action will be taken against Folmer in the coming days.
— Senator Joe Scarnati (@senatorscarnati) September 18, 2019Folmer has served in the state Senate since 2006, and Pittsburghers might be aware of him because he played an integral role in the creation and passage of Pennsylvania's medical marijuana law. He is also a large reason that the state's Fairness Act has been held up, which would provide non-discrimination protections to all LGBTQ Pennsylvanians.
Folmer has not yet responded to multiple media outlets who requested a comment.
