Chris Christie on his U.S. attorneys

by: Hopeful

Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 04:10:25 PM EDT

Updated by Jason: Here's the video of Christie talking about his US Attorneys:

Blogger emptywheel has been on fire today. In one post, she points us to an astonishing speech by Chris Christie in which he admits to the politicization of the US Attorney's office:

You know, we're going to ferret out waste and fraud and abuse in the government. I think you know I'll do that better than anybody. I've got a group of assistant U.S. attorneys sitting down in Newark still doing their job. But let me tell you, they are watching the newspapers. And after we win this election, I'm going to take a whole group of them to Trenton with me and put them in every one of the departments because they saw a lot of waste and abuse being investigated while we were in the U.S. Attorney's office that didn't rise to the level of a crime. So I told them, the good news is, when we get to Trenton we don't have to worry about beyond a reasonable doubt anymore.

As emptywheel notes, it's hard to say which of the four points is more disturbing:

1. I've got AUSAs in Newark
2. I'm going to take a whole group of them to Trenton
3. I told them I was going to take them to Trenton
4. We've agreed to do away with "beyond a reasonable doubt" when we get there

Hopeful :: Chris Christie on his U.S. attorneys

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Chris Christie on his U.S. attorneys | 4 comments

How does this (0.00 / 0)

play into this?

http://www.nj.com/news/index.s...

Is this why they appear to be publicly supportive of him, despite a legal and ethical requirement that they remain neutral?

Just what did Chris Christie promise his US Attorneys in return?

by: sassypants @ Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 20:53:01 PM UTC

Christie Sounds Like a Fascist Pig (0.00 / 0)

WTF does he mean by,

"So I told them, the good news is, when we get to Trenton we don't have to worry about beyond a reasonable doubt anymore.

Damn, even Ferriero, Bush, Cammarano, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Coniglio are entitled to their constitutional rights!

Now, of course, Christie will say that he was only speaking in broad metaphoric terms and that he wasn't advocating an all out police state (which is what we would be without the constitution) but just the fact that this asshole could even say something that bone headed (at best) disqualifies him from the high public office if governor of NJ!!!

And on TOP of that, if what Christie admits to in this video is true, then he's just blown the whistle on all of the government employees that he's had these discussions with as the kind of political conspiracy he refers to is a direct violation of the Hatch Act.

There needs to be a special prosecutor appointed to investigate all of these evident illegalities that surround Christie. At the very least, we need a congressional investigation starting in September.

Did Christie really have all these conversations with all these assistant US Attorney's that he claims that "I got.."? Who are they? Do they know that they are "got" by Christie? When did they get "got"?
What was the exact nature of the exchanges that leads Christie to believe that he's "got" these people? WTF does he MEAN by "got"?

Again, Christie is toast.

by: Nick Lento @ Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 22:44:09 PM UTC

What on earth (4.00 / 1)

does Christie think we were hammering on Joe Ferriero for for years??

Throwing his weight around, influencing public employees beholden to him, promising them JOBS.

Gee, I guess it takes one to know one these days. Christie only went after Ferriero for the Government Grants Consulting firm. Perhaps Christie has no philosophical argument with the way Ferriero influenced government employees and elected and appointed officials to do his bidding in other matters.

At least Corzine disagreed with Joe Ferriero when it came to this kind of nonsense.

Christie comes off as no better than Joe Ferriero. A pushy bully with a defective moral compass.

One Vote. Yours. It really does matter.

by: carolh @ Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 23:19:11 PM UTC

waste, fraud abuse, (4.00 / 2)

Christie focuses on waste fraud, abuse.

But dislosure of waste, fraud or abuse is not covered by NJ Whistleblower laws.

Nor is dislcosure of manipulation of science or threats to public health or environment.

Civil servants know what is going on in government, but are intimidated by retaliation. They need stronger whistleblower protections - this can help prevent corruption.

I urge Corzine to announce support of closing these loophoses in NJ Whisltle blower laws.

This is one reform called for by CleanGreenNJ platform.

No way Christie will support his - good opportunity call him on his rap.

by: Winston Smith @ Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 23:36:29 PM UTC