What Christie's slush fund is up to

by: Hopeful

Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 01:18:19 PM EDT

We've been discussing the Christie slush fund -- officially called "Reform Jersey Now" -- set up to help out Chris Christie by exploiting loopholes. Many have wondered how they're spending the money they're secretly raising and spending.  

As you may know, I live in Steve Sweeney's district. I was surprised recently to see some campaign mailers in my mailbox because it's not campaign season. It turns out the mailer was from Reform Jersey Now. Here are the scans:

I haven't heard of people in other districts getting such mailers.

(I'd like to say I did the opposite of what they wanted, but as it turned out, Sweeney reached a deal averting a constitutional amendment before I got around to it.)

Christie: Peel back the fake Ronald Reagan mask ... and get Richard Nixon

by: Rosi Efthim

Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 08:39:36 AM EDT

Reform Jersey Now contributions are not affected by the pay-to-play statutes ... or by applicable executive orders," says the solicitation, which sheds new light on Christie's involvement with the group. Pay-to-play rules limit the amount of money that can be donated by those who get state contracts.

RJN's touts itself as an "independent New Jersey non-profit,"  but its website reads like an advertorial for Chris Christie. Radio ads (paid by RJN) urging listeners hit up legislators to urge Christie's property tax cap. Dramatically-titled video clips of the governor's "Town Halls" before carefully filtered audiences. A big, red contribute button. It's unclear to me why a governor mowing down everybody in his path needs a secretly-financed public relations arm when he clearly has zero problem making himself understood all by himself. But if RJN is doing more than that, we don't know. Spending is likewise cloaked. And it looks like serious money.

Spokestributor Mike DuHaime, strategist for McCain-Palin and Christie's own election, told a reporter not everybody pays their $25,000 event ticket price, but he didn't offer much math beyond that. He says they're "playing by the rules as they exist".

This may not be law-breaking. And this slush fund isn't exactly the same as what brought Richard Nixon down. But it's an obvious ethical black hole.

Christie, like Nixon, is a megalomaniac. And he surrounds himself, like Nixon, with a secretive cabal of loyalists willing to help him concentrate power because they ... believe. And since the day of Nixon's unraveling schemes, this kind of deal raises red flags. We don't know if all this opacity is concealing wrongdoing. But Christie isn't doing much to reassure that directing buddies to create a slush fund isn't hypocritical, corrupt or a plan to avoid accountability.

And, after all, this is Christie, who already has plenty of transparency problems, history of questionable financial dealings, and a remarkable tendency to try and skirt responsibility. Wisniewski's right to call this a "shadow campaign arm."

DuHaime said RJN would "fully disclose" information on its donors - but not on its expenses - by the end of the year (read: after they're done). RJN is a 501(c)(4); it's not required by law to disclose donors, or follow NJ's pay-to-play laws. If they registered as a NJ PAC, donations would have a $7,200 annual ceiling, with a $25,000 maximum donation to the GOP, and donations would be reported.  

Will Goodwin join Democrats calling on Christie slush fund group to release donors too?

by: Jason Springer

Thu Jul 08, 2010 at 10:30:00 AM EDT

You've heard of 'Six degrees of Separation', in this case there are zero degrees of separation from Governor Christie, Minority Leaders Kean and DeCroce and this supposed 'issue advocacy' group.

1.  Christie's top political advisor is on the 'advisory board'

2.  Their treasurer, a Governor's appointee to the Turnpike Authority, is the campaign treasurer for Chris Christie, Senate Minority Leader Kean, and Assembly Minority Leader DeCroce amongst others.

3.  The address and phone number listed on their website are the same as the top Republican fundraising firm in the state which works for the Republican State Committee, the Senate Republican Majority and the Assembly Republican Majority

4.  The chief strategist for the Christie / Guadagno campaign is their spokesperson

5.  Governor Christie was the only keynote speaker at the only event supporting Reform Jersey Now

These are direct ties between the statewide Republican apparatus, and this shadow group which is nothing but a front for the Republican Party to raise unlimited, unregulated contributions from anyone it wants.

"The days of backroom deals are over and a new day of government transparency has finally arrived," said Goodwin. "I commend ELEC for proposing these common sense reforms that will give residents the assurance to know that the professional politicians can no longer trade contracts for campaign cash."

Wisniewski demands donor list from Christie Slush Fund

by: Jason Springer

Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 12:00:00 PM EDT

Gov. Chris Christie was the featured speaker Tuesday at a New York City breakfast event sponsored by Reform Jersey Now, a non-profit advocacy group that features two former Republican governors on its board.

The event was held at the New York Health and Racquet Club and was organized by billionaire Ken Langone, the founder of Home Depot.

"No wonder Governor Christie vetoed the millionaires' tax and his Republican colleagues refused to override it.  He was planning a breakfast with his millionaire friends and couldn't look them in the face. He needs their millions of dollars of unregulated and unreported campaign contributions "

Reform Jersey Now is a 501 (c)(4) non-profit that has so far run two radio ads in favor of Christie's cap plan.  The group counts among its board members former Republican Governors Christie Whitman and Donald DiFrancesco.  Long-time Christie friend and advisor Bill Palatucci is also a member of the advisory board as is former U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson.

Governor Christie's ability to ignore campaign promises and side step regulations is neither surprising nor new for him. We must 'reform' Reform Jersey Now and ensure that in the future, politically motivated ultra right wing organizations are not involved in making our state's policies.

I call on Reform Jersey Now to release all of its donors now, not eventually.

Christie's new pay-to-play organization

by: Hopeful

Tue Jun 08, 2010 at 10:00:00 AM EDT

The "chief strategist" of the Christie campaign explained how the scheme works to NJ.com:

As a 501(c)(4) organization, the group is not required to publicly disclose its donors. [Mike] DuHaime said it will voluntarily disclose donor information to state and federal regulators at least once a year, but declined to say when that would begin.

He said the group can accept unlimited contributions and will not restrict them based on New Jersey's pay-to-play laws, which ban those with state contracts worth more than $17,500 from donating more than $300 to statewide campaigns. "We're going to fully disclose, so people can make their own judgment on it," DuHaime said.

Contributions need not come from people: Democrats point out that the website asks for corporate money. I suspect there may not be any actual disclosure next year, nor need a "voluntary" disclosure be complete. (Here's a good example of how a 501(c)(4) was used to "pay to play" in Florida. The donors were kept secret.)  

Eliminating the independent State Commission of Investigation and soliciting unlimited donations sends a very clear message. This is not going to end well.