On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Montgomery County Commissioners chairman James R. Matthews was arrested for perjury charges. Matthews, the brother of MSNBC talking-head Chris Matthews, is accused of misleading a grand jury about his campaign contributions and county contracts.
According to the grand jury report, “Matthews lied with such ease and frequency that he acted as though, as chairman of the Montgomery County Commissioners, he is above the law.” That was echoed by Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, who said Matthews’ “demeanor was one of arrogance, one that he was entitled to do whatever he wanted, that this was his government.”
“They are out to get me,” he told the Inquirer of the criminal charge now pending against him.
A Republican in a Democratic county where President Obama earned 60 percent of the vote in 2008, Matthews did not stand for re-election in November and will step down soon to make way for a Democratic-majority county commission.
Matthews has weighed in on his more famous brother’s political ambitions in the past. In 2009, the “Hardball” host hinted at a run for the U.S. Senate. But the Pennsylvania politico shot down that speculation.