Has Tom broken up with Chris? Will he go back to Jon? Or does he have eyes for Dick or Rob? Coming soon on “As Moran Turns.”
By Wally EdgeHas Tom broken up with Chris? Will he go back to Jon? Or does he have eyes for Dick or Rob? Coming soon on “As Moran Turns.”
The news of the day is a Tom Moran’s Star-Ledger column slamming U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie for giving his onetime boss, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a huge piece of a no-bid contract as a court monitor that will pay between $29 million and $52 million over the next two years. Moran, widely viewed as an unabashed fan of Christie, the front runner for the 2009 Republican nomination for Governor, says that this particular deal “has an odor to it.”
From Moran: “But this is just the sort of conflict he has warned about for years. He gives speeches these days that come about a half-inch from being campaign stump speeches. The theme is that voters must show zero tolerance toward politicians with conflicts of interest. Only then, he says, will the state really clean itself up.”
Christie, Moran says, acted a little hurt by the close questioning. "You either trust me to have integrity or you don't," Moran says Christie told him.
Still, nearly two months after the news of Ashcroft’s contract broke, there is no comment from Democrats.
Contributors
Wally Edge
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a watchdog group that promotes ethics and accountability, has filed a complaint with the ... >
Bob Torricelli
There's nothing more difficult to see than the history before your eyes. It sometimes takes generations to understand the significance of ... >
Michael Patrick Carroll
OK, he didn't say precisely that, but when the Chairman of the Budget Committee informs us that governmental spending is the key to prosperity, ... >
Debbie Holtz
Score one for the Governor’s public relations team. For the last few weeks, they have been working overtime to fuel speculation Corzine was being ... >
Dr. Joseph Marbach
I am pleased to report the results from the first national poll conducted by Environmental Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at ... >
Rob Tornoe
To view a larger version of this cartoon, click here. >
Michael P. Riccards
The media, which loves headlines and knows little history, is trying to sell President Elect Obama as another Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But that ... >
Joey Novick
When I was eleven, way back in 1965, my family was invited for Thanksgiving to my cousins’ cousins, a Jewish-Italian family who lived in the ... >
Juan Melli
After the entire Star-Ledger editorial board opted to accept the paper's buyout offer, John Farmer, a 26-year veteran of the paper, was tasked ... >
Carla Katz
A couple of weeks ago, my mother, Angelina Katz, did her second debate on behalf of Barack Obama. A debate? My mother? If you knew her, you’d be ... >
Patricia Quattrocchi
A rained out MusicFest this past September has provided Union County with $275,000 in insurance monies. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders ... >
Murray Sabrin
Today the Asinine Watch begins. With so many illiterate statements made about the economy by elected officials in recent days and weeks, it was ... >
Poll
PolitickerNJ Partners
Hot Topics
| Politicker INTERACTIVE | |
 |
Lawmaker Profile Follow the funding of your representatives |
 |
270 to Win See how Obama got to the magic number |
Most Active Stories
- Lonegan enters race for Republican gubernatorial nomination
- Christie says give him four to six weeks
- David Crabiel, longtime Middlesex Freeholder, dead at 78
- Team Lonegan
- Lonegan to kick off his second gubernatorial campaign today
- Amid economic downturn, mayoral backlash, Lesniak anticipates COAH finetuning
- Ariyan mum on BCDO chairmanship prospects
- Some county chairs keep their gubernatorial options open -- for now
- Marra will be Acting U.S. Attorney
- Breaking a glass ceiling: will New Jersey get a Latino Secretary of Agriculture?
- Correction: Weiner departure was not his own idea
- Torricelli on COAH
- Two N.J. super delegates go to Obama; Norcross backs Obama; key Clinton supporters endorse Obama
- At energy policy meeting, Rose fights with cabinet and walks away
- Sixteen Democrats are on Norcross' short list for Andrews House seat
- Roughneen in court today on signature challenge
- Jackson will be Corzine's new Chief of Staff
- Obama bundler says he lost $25 billion of N.J. pension funds
- New Jersey's Most Powerful Law Firms
- Jersey City councilman makes it rain in Washington
Quote of the Day
"Because he had to dress for his speech immediately, he had to purchase an entirely new set of clothes. The campaign credit card used to pay for the clothing was reimbursed in total by the airline, which wrote a check for $952.04 to the congressman on July 20, 2007. The congressman then endorsed the check over to the campaign account on July 20, 2007. Thus, the campaign incurred no expense for the clothing." -- Francis Tagmire, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, on why Andrews used campaign funds to pay for clothing. A Washington, D.C. watchdog group has filed a complaint against him.
Recent Press Releases
- Dec 3 2008
In the News
Read the expanded Wake Up Call, our summary of today’s news media coverage.
Today’s Must Reads:
James R. Lambert: Convicted Felon, Head of Authority― ONLY IN NEW JERSEY...AND PENNSYLVANIA
Why can't we find a role for Christie in Washington? ― MIKE KELLY
Christie Gives Notice, and G.O.P. Gains Hope ― DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI
Christie's legcy― THE BERGEN RECORD
Corzine for Treasury? Don't Bet on It.― WASHINGTON POST
Immigrants still in New Jersey― THE BERGEN RECORD
Syndicate
Maybe Dems aren't getting in the way...
...of Christie shooting himself in the foot.
It is obscene for any person in public life (and the public's employ) to ever utter the words, "you either trust me or you don't." Who in hell does he think he is, that he is above public scrutiny?
Tin ear, blind eye, whatever you want to call it. Christie owes his job to a man that he just gave a winning PowerBall lottery ticket. It stinks to high heaven, and if he can't smell it, that just proves his lack of fitness for any position of public trust.
Christie Bought The Office, and Is Still Paying Favors
Wally Edge reported in 2000 that Christie had been told there was no place for him in the new administration despite raising $100,000 for Bush.
So Christie and his brother donated upwards of a million dollars to state and national Republican organizations over the next 10 months. He worked to get his old friend Joe Kyrillos elected state Republican Chair, and gave a ton of money to the state party after Kyrillos took power.
Then in the fall of 2001 Bush named Christie US Attorney for NJ and took office in 2002.
How did that pass the smell test for so long?