Forging America: My Campaign Manager is Roosevelt

Chapter 302 - 150: New Pennsylvania (3)

Monroe adjusted his cufflinks, his eyes turning cold.

"Since that Duke of Burgundy wants to carve out his own kingdom, we’ll just have to show him that the King’s sword is still sharp."

Monroe walked back behind his desk, picked up the phone, and called the internal line of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

As Vice Governor, although he didn’t have the direct authority to command the Attorney General, he represented the core will of the State Government. On matters involving the "statewide administrative order," he had more than enough say.

Moreover, the shadow of the midterm elections loomed over every politician’s head. In Pennsylvania’s current political landscape, lockstep unity within the Democratic Party was paramount.

Monroe was not just the incumbent Vice Governor; he was also the Democratic Party caucus’s unanimously chosen candidate for Senator.

The race for the Senator’s seat held the highest priority. Anyone or anything that obstructed this goal would be crushed by the massive war machine that was the state party.

The call connected.

"This is Aston Monroe."

Monroe’s voice was steady and authoritative.

"The State Government has received some complaints regarding the regional procurement alliance recently spearheaded by the City of Pittsburgh."

"Some have raised concerns that this type of cross-regional bulk purchasing is suspected of circumventing the core principles of open bidding stipulated in the Pennsylvania Government Procurement Act."

"Yes, while they’ve cited Act 177, it’s a legal gray area. If this model is abused, it could lead to serious insider dealing and corruption."

"I recommend that the Attorney General’s Office immediately issue a formal compliance warning."

"Warn all municipalities in the state that any participation in such cross-regional procurement activities, which have not been filed with the State Auditing Bureau, will face extremely strict legal scrutiny."

"At the same time, notify the State Auditing Bureau and the Department of Community and Economic Development to prepare to initiate special investigation procedures."

"Yes, target the cities that have already signed letters of intent. Erie, Scranton... investigate every single one of them."

"Freeze their funds first. We need to ensure that every single taxpayer dollar is being spent appropriately."

Hanging up the phone, Monroe looked at Turner.

"Issue a press release."

"Say that the State Government is highly concerned about local fiscal security. To prevent another Pittsburgh-style debt crisis, we will be strengthening our oversight of cross-regional economic activities."

"The tone should be stern and official."

"I want those mayors, the ones hoping to get their cut from Leo, to see this clearly."

"That piece of meat may be tempting, but there’s a hook hidden inside."

"We’ll see if they want those orders more than they want to keep their jobs."

Turner stood to the side, listening to his boss’s directives, but his brow furrowed slightly.

He was a seasoned campaign manager, and he could see the collateral damage behind this move.

"Boss, there’s a risk I have to warn you about." Turner hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "If we use the Auditing Bureau to freeze their accounts long-term, the consequences could be more severe than we anticipate."

"According to our intel, several factories in Erie and Scranton have already paid large sums upfront for raw materials to rush Pittsburgh’s orders. If their cash flow is cut off, they won’t be able to make payroll for their workers next Friday."

"That’s several thousand angry blue-collar workers." Turner sounded worried. "If they don’t get paid and this whole thing blows up, the media could accuse the State Government of bureaucratic overreach and of obstructing local economic development."

After listening, Monroe’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

"So what?"

Monroe shot back.

"Paul, you need to be clear about who those people are."

"They’re Republicans. Even if they switched to the Democratic Party, they’d vote for Murphy."

"They’ve never been my voters."

"Even if they get their paychecks, are they going to thank me? No. They’ll just thank Leo Wallace and John Murphy."

"And if they don’t get their paychecks, who will they hate? They’ll hate the Leo who dragged them into this mess, and they’ll hate the Murphy who wrote them a bad check."

"So... what does that have to do with me?"

"Let them protest. Let them go hungry."

"Their suffering is Leo Wallace’s political liability, not mine."

"Do it."