LIKE BIRDS OF A FEATHER, CHRISTIE AND PAWLENTY FLOCK TOGETHER

LIKE BIRDS OF A FEATHER, CHRISTIE AND PAWLENTY FLOCK TOGETHER

Christie’s Latest Booster from National Republican Party Also Failed to Disclose Critical Income Information

Today, after months of declaring that he wouldn’t take outside help from national Republicans—despite visits from Newt Gingrich, a recent fundraising junket to Wyoming, and revelations that he may have violated the Hatch Act by launching his gubernatorial campaign from the U.S. Attorney’s office with the help of Bush political advisor Karl Rove—Bush Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie flew in ethically embattled Minnesota Republican governor Tim Pawlenty to rally support for his campaign.

Christie’s curious decision to bring in Pawlenty, in light of the sharp criticism Pawlenty received for failing to disclose income he received from a telecom company as a candidate for governor, highlights once again how Christie has always had one set of rules for himself and another for everyone else.

“It’s not surprising that Christie, who has always had one set of rules for himself and another for everyone else, would bring in Governor Pawlenty to campaign on his behalf,” said Democratic State Committee Chairman Joseph Cryan. “As candidates for governor both Christie and Pawlenty conveniently failed to disclose critical personal income information as required by law, a revelation made more shocking by the fact that, as U.S. Attorney, Christie relentlessly prosecuted people who did the same exact thing.”

During his 2002 campaign for Governor, Pawlenty failed to disclose that he received $60,000 in income from the payphone company, Access Anywhere, a fact that did not come to light until after his election to Governor. This serious oversight was slammed by the editorial board of the Star Tribune, who said that Pawlenty’s arrangement “raise[d] awkward questions about the governor’s judgment” and that he “[couldn’t] say he was forthcoming with voters.” [Editorial, Star Tribune, 7/16/03; Editorial, Star Tribune, 8/29/03]

In recent weeks, it was revealed that Christie had failed to disclose a $46,000 loan to Michele Brown, a subordinate at the U.S. Attorney’s office, as required by state ethics regulations and the IRS, thereby evading paying federal taxes on the interest he received from the loan. This serious ethical lapse is ironic given Christie’s 2005 boast that he had “prosecuted every variation of tax fraud and method of evasion.’” [Associated Press, 8/19/09]

“After months of attempts to portray himself as a white knight, Christie’s record of ethically questionable behavior shows that he has been a part of the problem of corruption in New Jersey, not a part of the solution,” Cryan said. “Bringing in Governor Pawlenty may help fire up the far-right wing, but it highlights once again Christie’s guiding philosophy of ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ Frankly, that’s the last person New Jersey needs at the reins of state government in these trying economic times.”

# # #