House and Senate judiciary chairs call for GAO inquiry
By Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com ReporterThe Chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees now want the General Accounting Office to launch an inquiry into the awarding federal monitoring contracts by the Justice Department.
The move is the latest salvo in a controversy that started over the revelation that New Jersey U.S. Attorney Chris Christie assigned John Ashcroft to a lucrative oversight contract for a medical implant company, worth up to $52 million.
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary, and his counterpart in the House, Michigan Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) wrote to Comptroller General David M. Walker requesting the inquiry.
“There appears to be little or no oversight of these contracts. Indeed, according to the Post, the award of these contracts and the fees paid to monitors are rarely approved by courts and rarely questioned by the companies subject to the monitoring because they fear reprisal,” they wrote.
Rep. Bill Pascrell (R-NJ), who wrote to Christie in November raising questions about the contract, applauded the decision.
“The mission of the GAO is to investigate cases of waste, fraud and abuse and the actions of federal prosecutors handing out no-bid contracts could certainly fit those criteria,” he said.
As policy, the U.S. Attorney’s office refers questions on congressional matters to the Justice Department.
Contributors
Wally Edge
Attorney General Anne Milgram had already decided she would leave her post when Gov. Jon Corzine lost his bid for re-election. She has been ... >
Bob Torricelli
The contest for Governor of New Jersey might be the most visible but in the long term it might not be the most important. Long after our youngest ... >
Michael Patrick Carroll
Political discourse in America contains much in the way of intellect or intellectual honesty. One considers the Federalist Papers with wistful awe: ... >
Jeff Michaels
Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie. How sweet it is for the thousands of volunteers who worked since February to support this great man for NJ ... >
Richard LaRossa
With a convincing win in defeating an encumbent Governor, why were there no coattails? >
Alan Steinberg
Within 24 hours after the election of Chris Christie as Governor, the battle was joined between the Governor-elect and the New Jersey Education ... >
Dr. Joseph Marbach
I am often asked by my students, friends and even reporters why campaigns in New Jersey are so nasty and why candidates rely so heavily on negative ... >
Carla Katz
It was a dark and stormy November night. An icy wind whistled through leafless moonlit trees. A loud thud is followed by a piercing scream. A ... >
Joey Novick
Tuesday, November 3rd was not a particularly good day for Democrats across the state, or in Hunterdon County. Although Democrats in Hunterdon ... >
Murray Sabrin
According to the latest SurveyUSA and Rutgers Eagleton polls, independent gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett has the support of 19% and 20% of ... >
Poll
Hot Topics
Most Active Stories
- Democrats admit paying for pro-Daggett call; Obama records robocall for Corzine
- Christie elected Governor, defeats Corzine by 106,000 votes; GOP picks up one Assembly seat
- Christie elected Governor, defeats Corzine by 106,000 votes; GOP picks up one Assembly seat
- Newark North Ward report
- Poll: Christie has six point lead
- Quinnipiac: Christie leads by 2 in close race with Corzine
- Yudin basks in Bergen wins
- Corzine's Middlesex meltdown
- Payne guardedly optimistic in South Ward
- Christie says first executive order will freeze unfunded mandates and regulations
- Yudin basks in Bergen wins
- Democrats admit paying for pro-Daggett call; Obama records robocall for Corzine
- Christie elected Governor, defeats Corzine by 106,000 votes; GOP picks up one Assembly seat
- Amid rumors of departure to Christie cabinet, DeCroce re-elected minority leader
- Next GOP target: McNerney
- Christie says first executive order will freeze unfunded mandates and regulations
- Quinnipiac: Christie leads by 2 in close race with Corzine
- Woodbyrne: Here's how we won
- Daggett reaches out to conservatives, says Christie and Corzine 'joined at hip'
- After 'porn and guns' mailer, Wagner pledges to run positive forever more
- Quinnipiac: Christie leads 50%-40%
- Quinnipiac poll has Christie ahead by 4 points as Corzine gets closer
- Christie, in West New York, takes questions
- Gore makes his case for Corzine
- Potential LG rivals Allen and Weinberg ally for county committee reform legislation
- Final debate schedule
- Torricelli on making perfection the enemy of good
- Autistic man seeks Assembly seat in 37th
- Jeb Bush attends Christie fundraiser
- Correction: Weiner departure was not his own idea
Quote of the Day
"Please. I wouldn't have enough paper. So let’s not even bother writing one. This is now about governing. I won. The one thing I could never understand about people in politics was winners who are sore winners." -- Gov.-elect Christopher Christie, on putting together an enemis list.
“He’s a nice man with good intentions, but in the end he’ll be remembered for timidity. Being a business titan and issuing orders from the corner office is a lot different than having to cajole and persuade people in politics and having the toughness and fortitude to see your vision become reality.”-- Ross K. Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University, on Gov. Jon Corzine.
Recent Press Releases
- Nov 6 2009
- Nov 2 2009
Syndicate
