Katz probe: 'a very interesting twist in the plot'

By Matt Friedman | July 17th, 2008 - 6:05pm

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GOP State Chairman Tom hitting Jon Corzine over the head with Carla Katz: Rob Tornoe, PolitickerNJ.com, September 19, 2007
The revelation that U.S. Attorney Chris Christie is investigating former CWA Local 1034 President Carla Katz, reported by the Star-Ledger yesterday, has unavoidable political ramifications.

Christie is, in effect, investigating the ex-girlfriend of the man he will likely face off against if he chooses to challenge Gov. Jon Corzine next year.

You won't hear them go on the record about it, but the idea has some Democratic insiders grumbling.

"It sure as hell doesn't look right, I can say much," said one prominent Democratic official.

Partisan complaints, however, are not unusual when the U.S. Attorney goes after a high profile politician.

"You can't get away from the fact that there will be political overtones to this. Having said that, I don't know what the outcome of that is going to be," said Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray. "I think that Democrats, if they start to cry politics about this, that Chris Christie's just going to ignore it and continue because that's the way he operates."

Despite gripes from political opponents, Christie touts his reputation as an equal opportunity prosecutor who makes no political considerations when deciding who to go after.

Critics, however, will never forget his subpoena of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez shortly before the 2006 election. According to Murray, Christie is only treading dangerously if nothing comes of the initial probe of Katz.

"If he's looking ahead to 2009, the one place where this could be a potential problem for him is if he investigates and turns up nothing," Murray said. "Then in 2009, it can be used by Corzine as ‘Here's a guy who went on a witch hunt.' But I don think Chris Christie thinks in those terms," he said.

Peter Wooley, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, says that any federal prosecutor with political ambitions will have the same dilemma from time to time.

"I don't doubt that Christie's people have made that calculation 100 times. So in a sense, to me this is a very interesting twist in the plot," said Peter Wooley, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. "Everybody's going to smell a rat every time you go out there and your office begins an investigation."

Christie could not be reached for comment. But his friend and political advisor, Bill Palatucci, took offense to the notion that there could be even a hint of political consideration involved in the investigation.

"There's seven years as one of the best U.S. Attorneys in the country, taking on Republicans and Democrats," Palatuci said. "Of course PolitickerNJ would think Chris Christie's in a sticky situation because this is the Kushner family web site, so I wouldn't have any comment around that."

Wooley pointed out that Republicans accused two Democratic Congressmen who criticized Christie for giving a lucrative federal monitor contract to former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft of playing politics.

"I think sometimes political motivation and public interest motivations overlap a little, sometimes they overlap a lot and sometimes not at all," said Wooley.

Meanwhile, both sides of the Katz dispute said that they didn't find out about the federal investigation until reading about it in the newspaper.

Attorney Paul J. Fishman, who represents Katz in the matter as well as in her civil suit against the union for alleged retaliatory harassment, still hasn't actually seen the subpoenas.

"Because the union has accused Katz of misappropriating funds, I'm not surprised that someone would want to review that allegation," said Fishman. "But I'm confident that any fair and neutral review will reach the conclusion that Carla has not done anything wrong, much less illegal."

But Bob Master, the legislative and political director of CWA District 1, said that the union did not ask the U.S. Attorney to look into the matter.

"The only thing I know about the U.S. Attorney's investigation is what I read in the Star-Ledger," said Master. "We didn't see anything here in New York and (the union's lawyers) have instructed me not to comment."

Tags:

Why does everyone always cry conspiracy theory?

Submitted by FrankJBartello on July 17, 2008 - 5:11pm.

How can people claim this site is biased against Christie? They beat up Corzine every day. Hold me Accountable, right?

The "collective interest"

Submitted by Demsandonts on July 17, 2008 - 5:30pm.

As Corzine will say, it's in the "collective" interest of New Jersey to find out and weed out the corruption in NJ including the governor's office if it take itself that far.

I'm sure Comrade Corzine would agree with that logic.

Vote Column - All the way!

It's amazing ...

Submitted by FormerlyAnonymous on July 17, 2008 - 5:44pm.

The only thing anyone writes about on Christie is the Menendez subpoena issue, but what about the fact that Wally Edge (remember him?) reported that Christie was denied a position in the Bush administration.

Then Christie's friend Kyrillos became state GOP chair, Christie and his brother and their wives donated $500,000 after barely donating before, and suddenly Christie gets the nomination for US Attorney.

The guy bought the job, but no one will say it. That's exactly the kind of stuff he prosecutes and gets credit for.

What...ever ^^

Submitted by abc123 on July 17, 2008 - 5:48pm.

This is about Carla and only Carla (for now anyway lolol), leave your slanderous remarks about anyone else out of it.

I think Carla and Queen Jean Fox at a female correctional facility will be great! lololol

What...ever ^^

Submitted by abc123 on July 17, 2008 - 5:48pm.

This is about Carla and only Carla (for now anyway lolol), leave your slanderous remarks about anyone else out of it.

I think Carla and Queen Jean Fox at a female correctional facility will be great! lololol

What...ever ^^

Submitted by abc123 on July 17, 2008 - 5:48pm.

This is about Carla and only Carla (for now anyway lolol), leave your slanderous remarks about anyone else out of it.

I think Carla and Queen Jean Fox at a female correctional facility will be great! lololol

Palatucci....

Submitted by GOP100 on July 17, 2008 - 7:36pm.

is a pretty good operative and a great spinner, but what the hell is he talking about? I agree with FrankJBartello, this site is anti-Corzine.

It is time for Corzine to resign!

Submitted by Wiel on July 17, 2008 - 10:34pm.

"It sure as hell doesn't look right," said Democratic official. Unfortunately for Democrats in general, and for Corzine in particular, political corruption never does.
It is time for Corzine to stop having good time on taxpayers' tab and do the right thing - resign. Be accountable!

Corzine should resign and Christe should resign

Submitted by GOP100 on July 18, 2008 - 7:19am.

Its time for Christie to just admit he's running for governor and leave the Federal Attorney job. Hold him accountable too!

As I've Already Said, Christie Should Recuse Himself...

Submitted by Nick Lento on July 18, 2008 - 10:44am.

....and his whole office. This is what independent investigators/prosecutors are for.

This smells like a self serving witch hunt on every level.

Chris Christie is a partisan hack. Nothing more.

If he's stupid enough to run for governor he'll have his political head handed to him.

The Katz matters will, eventually, be resolved in more than a few court proceedings; and (at this point) that's as it should be.

It's telling that the dirty cowards at the CWA waited till after their union elections to unleash this merde.

If they really thought they had something solid they would have made all this an issue before the elections. Eh?

Flawed and imperfect as they are (and I look forward to criticizing them for years to come ;-) Barack Obama will win in a landslide in November and John Corzine will be re-elected (if he chooses to run again).

Chris Christie and George Bush will retire into "private life" licking each other's wounds......until the blessed day comes when each of them will have to deal with a Judgment from the Boss....and I ain't talking about Bruce.

From Frederick Douglass

If there is no struggle there is no progress......Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie

Submitted by Jim from Pemberton on July 18, 2008 - 11:19am.

I believe that U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has violated a fundamental part of the social contract with the citizens. Law enforcement officers should not use their public office and police powers to advance their own personal agendas. The investigation of his potential rivals former girl friend and the Ashcroft contracts have disqualified him from consideration.

A message from reality:

Submitted by willmonk on July 18, 2008 - 12:19pm.

Just last night, I was talking to Governor Bill Gormley, U.S. Senator Christie Whitman, and President Newt Gingrich, and they all wished they had ignored the intelligensia who insisted that they had to run for office because everybody told them they were running. Then we all talked about the day Governor Codey beat Jon Corzine in the 2005 Democratic primary because he had listened to the crowds of people telling him he had to run because everybody said he was running, and it was too late to back out...

Christie targeting Bergen

Submitted by BergenLaw on July 18, 2008 - 1:34pm.

It looks like Christie's investigation in the Guv's ex-girlfriend is just part of his political trenches being dug in anticipation of a run in '09. Federal subpoenas have been flying under the doorjams of prominent Democrats in Bergen County since just before the Primary. Few people doubt that dismantling the Bergen Democratic machine is Christie's best strategy for ensuring an elephant's win both this year and next year.

Interestingly, a sitting Dem Freeholder, up for reelection this November, was questioned by a federal criminal investigator allegedly based upon his status as former mayor in a town that awarded a contract to a certain grants consulting company, but paid no money to that company. Meanwhile the republican former mayor of Bergenfield, a town prominently listed as a client of that consulting firm, has been ignored by prosecutors.

Chris Christie's Failure To Uphold Constitution

Submitted by JesseOKurtz on July 21, 2008 - 9:24am.

U.S. CONSTITUTION: FIRST AMENDMENT: "Congress shall make no law. . . abridging the freedom of speech. . . or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition their government for a redress of grievances." (Later applied to states by the 14th Amendment of 1866.)

NJ CONSTITUTION: ARTICLE I, SECTION 18: " The people have the right freely to assemble, consult for the common good, to make known their opinions to their representatives, and to petition for redress of grievance."

(Thank you Art Gallagher for the arrest video, http://moremonmouthmusings.blogspot.com/2008/01/seth-grossmans-arrest-fo...)

Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan was also arrested. He was...

greeting citizens as they arrived from the parking lot.
(His crime: refusing police orders to move to a 'designated protest zone' 125 yards away.)

'The governor's office had absolutely nothing to do with this,' Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton told the AP. 'The governor has obviously been eager to hear from all members of the public and will continue to do so.'

Violation of Seth Grossman and Steve Lonegan's Constitutional Rights covered by daTruthsquad.

Contact Federal Attorney Chris Christie to uphold the Constitution in this case. Contact Cape May County Sheriff to investigate the unconstitutional arrest order. Ask Congressman Frank LoBiondo to defend Federal Constitutional rights in his district. Approach Cape May County Freeholders to find out why they are not outraged over the flagrant violation of the State Constitution in their county. Call Senator Jeff Van Drew, Assemblymen Matthew Milam, and Nelson Albano to instigate the prosecution of this case of official misconduct. They are all silent. None of these officials, who take an oath to uphold the Federal and/or State Constitutions, have initiated an investigation in to who committed official misconduct in denying citizens their civil right.

Laus Deo,
Jesse O. Kurtz
Managing Editor for The Atlantic City Scoop
http://cityofatlantic.wordpress.com
Jesseokurtz@gmail.com

I Doubt Christie is Seriously After Shutting Down The Ferierro..

Submitted by Nick Lento on July 22, 2008 - 11:09am.

...money machine.

This is all just an election year show.

Maybe some flunkies and fools will get indicted..and maybe even a few of them will get convicted; but the core of the operation will stay in place.

Christie understands that the money and the power behind opportunistic creatures like Ferierro is neither red nor blue; but GREEN (and I'm not talking ecology).

Christie understands that the money from the private sector that fuels the pay to play machine that is NJ and US politcs comes from mostly REPUBLICAN friendly business interests.

If Christie were really serious about fighting corruption he would have had a thousand NJ pols (and cronies associates etc) in jail by now.

From Frederick Douglass