Cardinale’s attack mailer stirs controversy

By Matt Friedman | November 5th, 2007 - 8:31pm
| More

State Senator Gerald Cardinale’s latest attack on Democratic state Senate candidate Joe Ariyan has drawn sharp rebukes by some Jewish Democrats as well as at least one Republican.

Last week, Cardinale accused Ariyan of having ties to the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), an advocacy group whose former communications director, Hussein Ibish, has made some controversial remarks in the past. Ariyan's law partner and campaign donor, Hani Khoury, served as president of the group’s New Jersey chapter in 2005 and 2006, and is still a member.

Recently, Cardinale sent out a campaign mailer saying that Ariyan has allowed “his firm to defend numerous illegal aliens detained by the federal government after 9-11 for suspected terrorism,” and noted Ariyan’s relationship with Khoury. Of the ADC, it said “This group has instructed its members to right (sic) letters in support of radical and extremist Palestinian attacks against the Jewish people and Israel.”

The flyer went on to quote Shelley Rubin, Chairman & CEO of the Jewish Defense League, condemning the ADC.

The Jewish Defense League was referred by a 2001 FBI publication as a “right-wing terrorist group” and a “violent extremist Jewish organization.”

“The continuing threats posed by terrorism and anti-Semitism are too real and too great for anyone to play cheap politics and invoke them recklessly,” said Rabbi Dennis Shulman, who’s seeking the Democratic nomination to run against U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett. “And yet State Senator Gerald Cardinale has had the gall to suggest that Joseph Ariyan is dangerous to both the residents of New Jersey generally and Jews specifically on the most specious grounds imaginable.”

The New Jersey chapter of the National Jewish Democratic Council also criticized Cardinale.

“The cynical behavior of Senator Cardinale and Councilwoman Cardinale are, to be frank, reminders of why all-too-many Americans are fed up with politics,” said Ira N. Forman, the New Jersey Chapter’s Executive Director. “To blame a candidate because his law partner is affiliated with an organization which had a former staffer who wrote nasty articles in a student newspaper – this is almost as absurd as it is reprehensible. Voters deserve better.”

Cardinale responded that Ariyan ought to return Khoury’s campaign contributions, and that everything in his mailer was “factually correct.”

“Mr. Ariyan's law firm defended illegal aliens suspected of terrorism by the federal government. It is also true that he has received contributions from the immediate past president and current board member of the ADC-NJ,” said Cardinale, who noted that some of the pages on the ADC’s Web site had, until recently, contained pictures of “anti-Israel” protests and instructions for writing letters to media sources with “anti-Zionist comments.”

“No matter how loudly Mr. Ariyan protests, the facts remain the same: he should return the money and explain his error in judgment in accepting the campaign contributions,” said Cardinale.

No federal detainees represented by Ariyan’s law firm were ever charged with terrorist-related activities.

Republican blogger George Ajjan, who challenged U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell for Congress in 2004, wrote a post over the weekend defending Khoury, and called Cardinale’s campaign tactics “pathetic.”

“As an Arab-American and a Republican, I can't figure out what's more disturbing: that the likes of Gerry Cardinale find such divisive attacks appropriate, or the fact that Republican candidates would rather base their electoral strategies on such hair-brained schemes instead of a simple tax-oriented message at a time when the Democrats are absolutely bankrupting this state,” wrote Ajjan. “…So do not vote for Gerald Cardinale. He does not deserve re-election. But do not vote for Ariyan either.”

Sloppy ass reporting

"Cardinale’s law partner and campaign donor, Hani Khoury"????

Councilwoman Cardinale

See above

Google Hani Khoury

The truth hurts when it is one of your own. Aryians values are NOT exactly those of main stream America

Nice Coverage

Very nice coverage PoliticsNJ. You reached out and quoted Jewish Democrats and an Arab-American Republican.

How about talking to a Jewish Conservative Republican.

Don't know one? You're hearing from one now.

Nahhh, maybe I better not.

Calypso Gerry has sunk to his lowest level yet.

Give em hell tomorrow Joe!

In your zeal

to post this slanted editorial masquerading as news,you referred to "Cardinale’s law partner and campaign donor, Hani Khoury" when you apparently meant "Ariyan's" law partner. You corrected that, but missed the other glaring error. At least you managed to plug another potential Garrett challenger, pretty transparent and rather hacked overall. Good try though

GERRY CARDINALE IS CORRECT

The people have the right to know that Joe Ariyan is cozy with an obscene reprobate who condones islamofascism.

lovespoliticsnj - somethings fishy....

"Give em hell tomorrow Joe!"

Hmmm... perhaps Taliban code?

"I'm not going to tell you this to insult you, but in the end, the McGreeveys, the Corzines, they're all going to be with me...not that they like me, but because they have no choice."

- The Democrats' Puppet Master

Yep code - only, American code. as in Joe........

RUN TO WIN TODAY!!!!!!!!! and don't forget to whack the sign as you go down the stairs.

 

 

Did that story mention...

a single issue facing the State or did it just spew dumb political mail piece stuff and misreport facts?

Just Voted for The Constitution

An Aryian Free Bergen will insure that the enemies of our Republic

both foreign and domestic will be kept at bay.

Cardinale got my vote this morning

And Cardinale will get a majority today.

Matt had to go to another county to find an anti-Cardinale Republican quote. And he got in a plug for a future Garrett opponent too. How long before we see Matt on a Democratic payroll like so many other "objective" NJ journalists who make the jump?

GEEZ

13 hrs later and this alleged story still refers to "councilwoman cardinale"

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