Does Manzo's accusation give Hopkins a leg up? Not according to DeWeese

The shocking accusations from his former chief of staff that Bill DeWeese knew about illegal bonuses paid to caucus staffers for working on campaigns ignited a palpable buzz in the Capitol that could be felt from lobbyist scurrying in the rotunda to TV cameras focusing on the majority leader's office.

But the most pertinent question this fall isn't how Michael Manzo's "Bonusgate" testimony will affect Harrisburg.

Rather, it is: How will Manzo's accusation affect DeWeese's home district in Greene County, where he faces an already difficult re-election challenge against Republican Greg Hopkins?

It won't, according to DeWeese, who has denied any involvement in "Bonusgate." The majority leader told PolitickerPA.com in an interview that Manzo, who's also been indicted in connection "Bonusgate," already lost credibility with residents in the 50th Legislative District when his affair with Angela Bertugli, a local beauty queen, was made public in the attorney general's presentment.

"I think, uniquely, the name Mike Manzo has been percolating in the hills of the 50th district because of the dubious liaison that was discussed so many times in so many of our local journals and gazettes," DeWeese said. "The woman involved with Mr. Manzo was a local person, so therefore I think his credibility was already quite marginal at best even before today's developments."

DeWeese spent much of his press conference on Wednesday attacking Manzo's credibility. In his interview with PolitickerPA.com, he spent much of it attacking Hopkins, an opponent who he said was ill-prepared to handle the legislature.

"He's bereft of awareness relative to the challenges of a representatives," said DeWeese, who ticked off a number of issues such as health care, energy and mine safety.

The majority leader also criticized Hopkins for refusing to debate him despite his many invitations.

Hopkins lost to the majority leader by fewer than a 1,000 votes when he ran against him in 2006. The Republican won Greene County, where the majority of the district lies, but lost in the slivers of Fayette and Washington counties that make up the rest of the district.

Asked if Manzo's accusations make him doubt his re-election chances, DeWeese responded by detailing all the steps he has taken to help the attorney general's office with its investigation. He discussed how he fired Manzo and hired his own investigator to find out for himself what was going on. All those steps, he said, have been well documented in the local newspapers.