“Shocked.” “Disheartened.” “Disgusted.” Those were some of the words used in area party leaders’ reactions to reports that state lawmakers hid nearly $3.5 million in campaign spending.

Yet Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, one of the alleged biggest offenders named in a year-long investigation by The Caucus and Spotlight PA, said he did nothing wrong.

The investigation uncovered nearly $3.5 million worth of campaign expenses that could not be fully traced to the ultimate recipients, based on publicly available campaign finance reports.

Under Pennsylvania election law, campaign accounts must be used for “influencing the outcome of an election.” But what qualifies is largely open to interpretation, and too often, campaign finance reports don’t contain enough information for the public to make a determination.

The investigation stated, and Scarnati reiterated, nothing officials did was illegal under state law.

“As stated in these stories, I have adhered to all of Pennsylvania’s campaign laws, including both the letter and the spirit,” the Senate president pro tempore said in a statement released late Friday, regarding the stories that were printed in newspapers across the state.

Scarnati pointed to several factors that he said back his claims: “It is worth noting that my campaign retains a paid Certified Public Accountant to oversee finances. She has complete autonomy to determine that each reimbursement is in compliance with the relevant law.

“Further, in the last six years, two comprehensive independent campaign audits (2013, 2016-18) for my contributions and expenses have been completed, which determined all expenditures were legally proper and appropriately recorded,” Scarnati said.

Nevertheless, some of the folks back home weren’t as confident he was standing on the highest ethical ground.

Ken Kane, chairman of the McKean County Republican Party, said he was shocked and disheartened by the investigation’s findings.

“When you are in public service, it is so important to maintain your perspective of service to the public,” Kane said. “We hear about it in Washington — and now it’s happening in Harrisburg.”

He mentioned how Scarnati rose in ranks to the position of Senate President Pro Tempore in 2007, “shortly after (Sen. Robert) Jubelirer was ousted for a similar thing.”

Jubelirer, an Altoona Republican, lost his party’s nomination for reelection in 2006. He was one of the legislators behind an attempted legislative pay raise in a system called “unvouchered expenses,” which would have allowed legislators to receive expense money without receipts. Voters were outraged, and Jubilirer and nine other high-ranking officials were voted out of office in the aftermath. The pay raise was rescinded.

Kane remarked that the investigation reported this past week shows what voters could call a disturbing trend.

“It causes me to wonder if it isn’t a culture of the aristocracy of Harrisburg,” he said.

He mentioned, too, that many people in Scarnati’s district don’t have a lot of money or material wealth, but give to politicians “to push an agenda that is best for the people. Up here (in McKean County), we play by the rules the constituents expect.”

Kane added, “I don’t think Joe Scarnati went down there seeking that. I believe he went to Harrisburg, learned to get along there and fell into it.”

McKean County’s Democratic chair, Marty Wilder, said she had expected more from Scarnati.

“I’m angry and disgusted that we continue to see this behavior from state lawmakers, particularly our own senator, Joe Scarnati,” she said.

She also mentioned the 2006 legislative pay raise scandal. “It wasn’t that long ago that Pennsylvania lawmakers tried to get away with a midnight vote on a pay raise for themselves. And they also had to be held in check when they generously handed out what they called ‘Walking Around Money’ which came from tax coffers,” Wilder said.

“What hope, now, do citizens have that these same lawmakers will act to end this kind of corruption and actually work for the people?” she said. “Until that happens, Pennsylvania will be stuck in the last century unable to cope with modern problems and challenges.

“I hope all voters — Democrats and Republicans — are as mad as I am at our so-called leaders,” she said. “We deserve better.”

In Elk County, Republican chair Sally Geyer said she was unfamiliar with the investigation, and had visited with Scarnati at a banquet on Thursday night. She declined to comment.

Her Democratic counterpart, Rich Schweikart, said Pennsylvania has a low bar for holding elected officials accountable for campaign finances. And, he added, the investigation pointed out that their actions were not against the law.

“But just because something is not illegal, it doesn’t mean it’s ethical,” Schweikart said.

While he said he is hopeful that voters will pay attention to news such as this, he added, “Scarnati’s got millions (in campaign funds) in the bank.” The amount of money involved in the investigation is “a drop in the bucket to what he’s got.”

According to the website Ballotpedia, between 2000 and 2016, the Scarnati campaign raised a total of $12.7 million. More than $5 million was raised in 2016 alone, the site indicates.

“It might discourage the small donors, but the big (political action committee) money is still going to flow,” Schweikart theorized.

“Hopefully it’s the kind of thing that makes voters take more time researching candidates,” he added. He pointed out that legislators on both sides of the aisle were named in the investigation.

“The only person we have here that we can do something about is Joe Scarnati,” Schweikart said. “He’s on the ballot next year. He’s the only one we can do something about at the ballot box.”

Also in Scarnati’s statement, he mentioned that the Senate is in the process of reforming campaign finance law.

“If the governor, as well as members from both parties and chambers of the legislature collectively work together to strengthen transparency regarding campaign finance, I am willing once again to actively engage in these conversations and to advance such product,” he said.