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David Kelley

Chris Christie exits - early - before House Judiciary finishes questioning him [VIDEO]

by: Rosi Efthim

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:27:10 PM EDT

Chris Christie warned he was going to put a time-limit on his testimony today before the House Judiciary subcommittee investigating Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPA's) he oversaw while he was US Attorney for the State of New Jersey.

And damned if he didn't just get up and ... leave. Before the hearing was finished. While there were questions still being asked. Just as the congressmen got to the part where Christie offered a fat monitoring contract to former US Attorney David Kelley, who let Christie's brother, Todd, off the hook in a stock fraud case that hauled in indictments for 15 other people.

He sticks around for an extra moment for the laudatory remarks of a fellow Republican - Ranking Member Rep.Trent Franks - but then he's outta there. It's pretty imperious behavior, don't you think? Watch for yourself:

House Judiciary Subcommittee Chair Rep. Steve Cohen: Mr. Christie, what time is your train?
Christie: My train is a little bit before 2, sir, and I have to go.
Cohen (checking clock): You're not going to make a 2:00 o'clock, so ...
Christie: Well, sir. I'm going.

That last shot? That's Christie's empty chair, in the House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing room. He just got up and ... walked out of the room. Behavior befitting a Governor? You decide.

Sound quality is from the House Judiciary Committee website feed. We apologize.

Discuss :: (4 Comments)
A Child's Stigma

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AP details Christie deferred prosecution agreements

by: Jason Springer

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 08:29:27 PM EDT

As he prepares to testify during a hearing of the House Judiciary subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law about deferred prosecution agreements he entered into as US Attorney, the AP is out tonight with a synopsis to help guide us:
, John Ashcroft. Christie's former U.S. Justice Department boss made $28 million to $52 million or more in 18 months for monitoring Zimmer Holdings, one of five medical device manufacturers accused of giving kickbacks to surgeons for using their replacement hips and knees.

, David Kelley. A former U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Kelley investigated a stock fraud case involving Christie's younger brother, Todd, but declined to prosecute him. Kelley was later picked to monitor Biomet Orthopedics Inc., another of the medical device makers.

, Bristol-Myers Squibb. A $300 million fraud settlement Christie negotiated with the New York company included a provision that Bristol-Myers endow a professorship at Seton Hall Law School, his alma mater. The U.S. Justice Department subsequently issued guidelines barring such requirements as part of out-of-court corporate crime settlements.

, David Samson. The former Republican attorney general and party fundraiser was a monitor of medical device maker Smith & Nephew Inc. His firm is now on Christie's payroll for legal work: the candidate's pre-election finance report last month listed expenditures of $9,439.40 in legal fees/rent and $18,439.40 still owed to Wolff & Samson of West Orange.

, Herbert Stern. Christie mentor got $10 million contract to monitor University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, accused of double-billing for services covered by Medicare. Christie close friend and fundraiser John Inglesino, a partner in Stern's law firm, was paid $325 per hour for his work as counsel on the monitorship. Stern, Inglesino, another partner and their wives later gave $23,800 in donations to Christie's campaign for governor. The donations were matched, 2-1, under New Jersey's campaign finance laws, bringing the total amount to $71,400.

, Debra Wong Yang. Like Kelley, Yang, a former U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, is a former Christie colleague. The Republican-connected prosecutor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner, who had ties to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, was chosen to monitor Deputy Orthopaedics Inc.

, John Carley. A former Cendant Corp. vice president and Federal Trade Commission lawyer under President Reagan, Carley was on Sen. John McCain's 2008 New York fundraising team. He oversaw a nonprosecution agreement involving Stryker Orthopedics.

While much of the attention has been paid to the Ashcroft, Stern and Kelley prosecution agreements, the Seton Hall one could raise some eyes as well. The Seton Hall agreement spurred a change in the guidelines because of the contribution Christie required. It turns out that two years after the deal, Seton Hall presented Christie with the St. Thomas More Medal for outstanding contributions to the law, the community and the Catholic Church.  I'm sure this and many other questions will be asked at the hearing tomorrow.

We asked Congressman Pallone about the timing of the testimony on Blue Jersey Radio, because some have cried politics including editorial boards. Pallone reminded our listeners that Christie declined to testify when he was US Attorney and that the committee postponed the original date at the request of Republicans fearing it could be a political issue in the primary. The timing is of his own creation.

They will be streaming it live through the Judiciary website apparently if you would like to follow along.

Discuss :: (1 Comments)

Chris Christie, Todd Christie, David Kelley Debacle In Full

by: andrewtna

Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 11:01:04 AM EDT

Gov. Jon Corzine's poll numbers are not good. The bearded New Jersey Democrat maintains a 40 percent approval rating in a blue state. These numbers, combined with the state's high-tax rate, suffocating property taxes, and high unemployment, make the 2009 governor's race an obvious target for the GOP.

Enter Chris Christie, the rotund former U.S. attorney credited with taking a bite out of the rampant corruption in New Jersey and putting away 130 government officials. Republicans have looked to run Christie for elected office for years, and now he walks into the governor's race leading Corzine 45-38 percent in recent polls. He leads Republican primary challenger Steve Lonegan in the most recent poll, down from 18 and 23 percent earlier.

Christie has received glowing early reviews from the press. For instance, the New York Times recently wrote that Christie "won widespread admiration for his aggressive fight against political corruption."

But Newark's White Knight is not quite the shoo-in for governor he appears to be. Christie's tenure as U.S. attorney was marred by significant ethical lapses which exposed Christie as the same type of "pay-to-play" politician that he rails against.

The most blatant example is his rewarding former New York U.S. attorney David N. Kelley with an advantageous no-bid contract after he agreed not to press criminal charges against Christie's brother Todd and after Kelley had left public office for private practice in 2005.

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