Codey says he won't invoke executive privilege
By EditorSenate President Richard Codey says he will not invoke executive privilege in the investigation of the Property Tax Assistance and Community Development Grants program approved during his fourteen months as Governor, and said he will support the release of all documents.
"Although legally we have the right to invoke executive privilege, to the contrary we want this information to be released. People have a right to know how their money is being spent. I think the public will see, as they scrutinize these lists, that this money helped support many good causes,” Codey said. “The release of these documents will help clarify many questions surrounding the grant program.
In the federal corruption trial of former State Sen. Wayne Bryant, Senate Democratic budget officer George LeBlanc testified that certain legislators, including Codey, Bryant and then-Majority Leader Bernard Kenny, had exclusive control over nearly $12,000 from the program, which was set up to offer property tax relief. Bryant is accused of directing some of the money to UMDNJ, where he had a lucrative position that allegedly required very few hours of work.
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What about
his role in turning the livable communities grant program into a slush fund? Will he claim executive privilege when people start looking into that? How about his overspending of the Governor's contingency fund? Rather than worry about executive privilege he should practice saying "I am asserting my fifth amendment rights" or "I will not answer that question on the basis of my fifth amendment right." I would suggest you start working on that speech "Governor"
Good call by Codey.
Good call by Codey. Say what you will about earmarks/grants, but there is nothing illegal about it. Didn't the Republicans load every Whitman and Difrancesco budget with hundreds of millions of them?. Hopefully they are all scrutinized as Codey suggests them to be.
(No subject)
There are plenty of "worthy" causes...
the question is are you willing to put the cost on the back of the middle class and to the detriment of the state. Are those causes worth it? Codey obviously is willing to do that. He thinks its worth the damage to the state and its taxpayers. He and his cohorts should be judged accordingly by the voters.
(No comment)
Sorry, last comment was double-posted by accident.