Well, well, well. Not two hours ago, as I write this, I said I hoped the Corzine campaign would shift away from personal snipes about tangential stuff like Christie's girth, to more substantial questionable stuff on the guy's wobbly ethical compass.
Like maybe today's news that Christie held stock in a company even while investigating them as United States Attorney. Star-Ledger:
Chris Christie bought and sold stock in a travel and real estate company while it was under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office he led at the time, according to public records. Christie, now the Republican candidate for governor, purchased shares of Cendant Corp. in 2004 and sold them in 2005, according to financial disclosure reports he filed with the Justice Department. In 2002, his office had renewed an investigation into Cendant, leading to fraud convictions of two of its former top executives in 2005 and 2007.
-- 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.
Why do the same names keep popping up in Chris Christie's history? Why are so many of them Bush insiders, or high donors to marquee Republican campaign's like John McCain's? Doesn't Christie know anybody else?
Christie's answers today on how he came to be holding Cendant while also investigating Cendant seem a little unsteady to me. He acknowledged he saw Cendant on his disclosure reports, but says his financial adviser bought and sold the stocks without his knowledge. He denies making either decision himself. It all sounds plausible. But given Christie's incrediblycasualattitude towards financial disclosure and to the truth in general when he has something to gain or lose, this deserves all the scrutiny in the world.
The Corzine campaign launched Christiefacts.com yesterday, a site dedicated to tracking Chris Christie's changing positions on the issues for the voters. Here was the subheading of their release:
"New Jersey residents need a resource guide to keep track of where he actually stands"
Maggie Moran said this about the site:
"After Christie's latest about-face on President Obama's nomination of Justice Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, it is clear New Jersey residents need a resource guide to keep track of where he actually stands," said Moran. "Christie said he was against no-bid contracts, and then awarded multi-million dollar no-bid contracts to his friends; and Christie engaged in pay to play after saying he was against it. He did the same thing with his supportive comments about Justice Sotomayor, which directly contradicted what he said before. This website will be a valuable tool for New Jerseyans to see where Christie really stands on issues, as opposed to what he says to whichever group he is pandering for on any given day."
The site has video's, news stories, an about Chris page, a did you know section and issue breakdowns. If they wanted a repository for documentation on Chris Christie, they could have just gone with huntsu's work here at Blue Jersey, but we understand. I'm sure the Christie campaign will say it's a smear by the Corzine campaign as usual and not answer any of the charges made on the site. The Corzine campaign also launched a new ad directing people to the Christiefacts website and highlighting Christie's testimony before Congress on the Deferred Prosecution Agreements recently:We'll see what the voters think in a few months.
First Chris Christie was opposed to no-bid contracts as a freeholder:
"Calling it one of his major campaign themes, Morris County freeholder candidate Chris Christie said yesterday that the county should put out to bid all contracts for consultants and professionals"."This is one of the major things I'm running on," said Christie, a 31 year old Mendham Township attorney. "It makes common sense. It's good government. Let the chips fall where they may and get the best people at the best price. That's the freeholders' job." [Daily Record, 2/23/94]
And then he was still staying no-bid contracts were a problem as US Attorney:
"The biggest problem in corruption in New Jersey is no-bid contracts," Christie said during an Asbury Park Press editorial board meeting yesterday. "If you look at all of these cases that we do, they almost always center around no-bid professional contracts." [Asbury Park Press, 11/26/02]
But as US Attorney, he was entering into deferred prosecution agreements, whereby he choose the prosecutor to oversee the agreement, many times an associate without direct experience of the work they were being chosen for, without sending it out to bid. On Tuesday, the Corzine campaign launched their TV ad focusing on 3 of the agreements Christie made as US Attorney. The only response the Christie campaign had was denounce it as a smear, a fact that did not go unnoticed to the Democratic State Committee:
And Christie still refuses to explain how it came to be that only friends of his were the most qualified lawyers out of, literally, over one million lawyers across the country.
And Christie refuses to explain the difference from 15 years ago when he was running for Freeholder . . . and seven years ago when he was United State Attorney . . . and now, when he is running for the most powerful Governor's chair in the entire country.
Christie has not denied a single fact in the ad.
Chris Christie needs to be held to the same standards he holds others, he must be accountable, and he has some serious explaining to do.
I'd expect more denouncing and attacking, but not much explaining. That's been the Christie campaign up until now.
This week, congressmen Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell testified before the House Judiciary subcommittee investigating Deferred Prosecution Agreements. They followed Chris Christie's prickly testimony.
Pallone, who called Christie the "poster child for abuse" on Blue Jersey Radio [listen here], and Pascrell, laid out the real costs to our economy of not reining in people like Chris Christie, and propose a legislative fix.
Pascrell first, Pallone after the jump. Sound quality is from the House Judiciary Committee website feed.
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.
State Democratic Chair Asm Joe Cryan's statement - posted after Chris Christie's testimony today on deferred prosecution agreements - is a blow-by-blow account of Christie's lies. Yes. Asm Joe Cryan is accusing Chris Christie of making false claims to the United States Congress. NJDSC:
Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan today called into question statements made by Conservative Right Wing gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie during his testimony today before Congress.
Cryan: Christie cannot keep his facts straight. In his testimony he said things that directly contradicted his previous statements and e-mails. From the time he sat down until the time he abruptly left in the middle of questioning, Christie continues to be confused by the facts.
It is very telling that Christie got up and walked out as he began to be questioned about the multi-million dollar no-bid contract given to the former U.S. Attorney that refused to charge his brother. If Christie tried to answer for all the other multi-million dollar no-bid contracts he gave out to friends he would have been testifying until Election Day and none of his statements would have matched. It is clear that Christie was either not telling the truth before, or he was not telling the truth today. One of those scenarios could be considered a violation of the law.
Make the jump for Christie's false claims, then the truth, point-by-point.
Most of this is just a summing up of details we have already been following, as we help New Jersey voters vet Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie, whose claims as a corruption-buster fade as more attention is paid what he actually did as US Attorney for NJ. His highly-questionable decisions on deferred prosecution agreements that feathered the nests of his friends, cronies and contributors. His lack of transparency and other abuses. But it's important to note how closely the national Democrats are watching. Which is closely.
Statement from the Democratic National Committee:
Chris Christie's testimony to Congress leaves too many unanswered questions about tens of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts that appear to have gone to friends and political cronies like John Ashcroft.
It's clear that as US Attorney Christie used his position to help his friends, and now those very friends are helping him fill his campaign coffers. Chris Christie's repeated ethical lapses demonstrate that he's just not up to the task of serving as governor of New Jersey," said DNC spokesman Michael Czin.
On the Ashcroft Contract
Christie awarded a no-bid contract worth upwards of $52 million to his former boss, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. "Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft was one of five private attorneys whom Christie hand-picked to monitor the implant makers. Now Ashcroft's D.C.-based firm is poised to collect more than $52 million in 18 months, among the biggest payouts reported for a federal monitor." Ashcroft was appointed to monitor Zimmer Holdings, of Indiana, in the investigation into hip and knee implant makers. [Star-Ledger, 11/20/2007]
ยท The contract contained lucrative provisions for Ashcroft, such as payments for private aircraft. It called for Ashcroft Group Consulting Services to earn an average monthly fee of between $1.5 million and $2.9 million, including individual legal and consulting fees billed at up to $895 per hour and as much as $250,000 a month for expenses including private airfare, lodging and meals.[Star-Ledger 11/20/2007]
UMDNJ, Inglesino, Stern, pay-to-play, and more - after the jump ...
UPDATE #2: It's over, and it was nearly four hours of testimony, some of it deeply contentious. Christie was on the hot seat, and he clearly didn't like that much. He did not last the entire session. Congressmen Bill Pascrell and Frank Pallone were ... simply outstanding. Argued the need for their own legisation, which calls for much greater transparency, and rules in place to avoid many of the abuses that were discussed and detailed in today's testimony. We will have the full video of today's proceedings, barring any glitches, up as soon as we can.
UPDATE: To get LIVE streaming video, go to the House Judiciary Committee website, and click the Watch Video Webcast button. Note: This will NOT work with Quick Time. You'll need Real Player.
Chris Christie is finally going to have to answer some questions today about his abuse of the Deferred Prosecution Agreements he arranged while he was United States Attorney for New Jersey, a post he held for seven years, resigning just months ago to run for Governor.
Today he appears before a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, an appearance delayed from its original date this spring, so that he could avoid having to do so during the Republican Primary.
The most egregious of Christie's abuses include forking over a $52 million contract to the firm of John Ashcroft, his former boss at the Justice Department, though Ashcroft had no experience with DPA's. Ashcroft testified last year, but Christie declined to do so, shielding himself from it by allowing the Justice Department to send someone else.
There is also a deal in which it appears he offered a lucrative contract to former US Attorney David Kelley, who let Christie's brother off the hook in a stock fraud case in which 15 others were indicted.
We have no doubt Christie abused the process - largely secret - of awarding DPA's for his own political gain. Remember, that Justice Department employees - particularly those serving as US Attorney for the state jurisdictions - are to conduct themselves completely without politcal priority. And Chritie gave out seven no-bid, multi-million dollar contracts to his political friends and allies, including Herb Stern, another of Christie's mentors, like Mark Sanford is. John Inglesino, long-time friend of Christie's is a partner at Stern's firm and both are top fundraisers of Christie's campaign. Inglesino is also accused of trying to bribe Rick Merkt to drop out of the Republican primary for Governor, just weeks ago.
UPDATED BY JASON: We had a great conversation with the Congressman, who was extremely candid on both the healthcare issue and the Christie debacle. Have a listen and let us know what you think in the comments. We tried to ask all of the questions that were suggested to us. The audio is embedded to the right.
UPDATE: The Congressman's a great "get," and a lively guest. Health care debate's in full boil, and he's right in the middle of it. And in less than 48 hours, Chris Christie's finally - finally - testifying before Congress, and Pallone and Rep. Pascrell will be there. Got questions? Call in tonight 646-652-2773, or drop your questions in Comments. Show starts 8pm - - Rosi
Among the topics of discussion on the agenda are the health care plan released the other day and healthcare reform in general. We will also talk about the questions he would like answers to from Chris Christie, who will testify about deferred prosecution agreements on Thursday. If you can't call in, let us know in the thread what questions you would like answers to and we'll try to work them in.
As always, WE'LL DO IT LIVE! - from 8:00p-8:30p tonight, Tuesday, and you can too. Just call: 646-652-2773
UPDATED BY JASON: We had a great conversation with the Congressman, who was extremely candid on both the healthcare issue and the Christie debacle. Have a listen and let us know what you think in the comments. We tried to ask all of the questions that were suggested to us. The audio is embedded to the right.
