Federal Monitor

The revelation that U.S. Attorney Christopher 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.

U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie spoke at Fairleigh Dickinson University today: Scott Giglio Photo
U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, a likely candidate for the 2009 Republican nomination for Governor, was on home turf this morning at a speaking engagement at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Madison campus -- just a short drive from his house in Mendham.

It was another stop on the corruption busting prosecutor’s public circuit: once again he rattled off his 125 convictions, recounted stories of jaw amazingly blatant corruption and fended off what he said were politically-inspired attacks on his record -- without going into specifics.

Christie made no reference to the ongoing controversy over his appointment of John Ashcroft to a federal monitoring contract worth between $27 and $52 million, instead arguing more broadly that his office has been accused of acting with political motivations by both parties. After the event, Christie said that he would not answer any questions regarding Ashcroft or the contract.

Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft will testify before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday regarding his federal monitor contract worth up to $52 million over an eighteen month period. Ashcroft’s testimony might help the panel decide if they want to subpoena the person who awarded the no-bid contract, U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, the front runner for the 2009 Republican nomination for Governor.

New Jersey Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell will testify on Tuesday at the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law’s hearing on deferred prosecution agreements.

Pascrell had requested the hearings in November, after it was reported that U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie assigned his former boss, former Attorney General John Ashcroft, to an a federal oversight contract with a medical implant device company worth between $27 and $52 million.

U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie with U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft at a Justice Department news conference in 2003
When the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law meets tomorrow, it will likely authorize committee chairman John Conyers to subpoena former Attorney General John Ashcroft regarding the federal oversight contract he received to monitor a medical implant company.

But not on the agenda tomorrow is whether to subpoena U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who gave Ashcroft, his former boss, the contract. Ashcroft stands to make anywhere from $27 to $52 million overseeing the company, which agreed in a deferred prosecution agreement to accept oversight rather than face prosecution.

“I don’t think it would be correct to say it hasn’t been considered. It just hasn’t been done,” said Michael Torra, Chief of Staff to Subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA). “Of course it’s a different situation between considering someone who’s now a private citizen versus a sitting federal prosecutor.”

U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie might testify before a House Judiciary panel next Tuesday – good news for Democrats who are anxious to see the potential 2009 Republican candidate for Governor get grilled for giving John Ashcroft a federal monitor contract worth up to $52 million. But the bad news for Democrats is that the hearing is being held the same day as Governor Jon Corzine’s budget address to the Legislature. Corzine is expected to propose some major budget cuts, and it’s likely that he’ll dominate the news that day.

Sen. Orrin Hatch and then U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2001
U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch today defended U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie’s decision to award former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft a federal monitor contract worth up to $52 million.

“I don’t know anyone better than Ashcroft to do it, because if it’s not done right, that could severely damage the company,” Hatch told PolitickerNJ.com today.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said that the Justice Department continues to look into how federal oversight contracts are assigned, according to a report from the Star-Ledger.

The controversy over deferred prosecution agreements was touched off after U.S. Attorney Chris Christie assigned his former boss, John Ashcroft, to a federal monitoring contract with anywhere from $27 to $52 million.

Mukasey acknowledged that deferred prosecution agreements had recently become more common, and said that he was offered one before becoming Attorney General.

"Yes, we are looking at the phenomenon," the article quotes Mukasey as saying. "Yes, we are going to see if there should be standards."

Attorney General Michael Mukasey has ignored letters from Reps. Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell on John Ashcroft's contract
Rep. Frank Pallone said that he hoped the days of a politicized Department of Justice were over when Alberto Gonzales resigned.

But so far, he has not been pleased with Gonzales’s successor, Michael Mukasey – at least not based on his response to Pallone’s concerns about deferred prosecution agreements, like the one that allowed U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to give his former boss, former Attorney General John Ashcroft, an oversight contract worth up to $52 million.

Pallone wrote two letters to the Justice Department – one in December and one in January—and has still not received a response to either.  He’s already introduced legislation regulating the practice of dolling out deferred prosecution agreements.  

“It’s no surprise to me that the Department of Justice is stonewalling,” said Pallone.  “Bush has had three Attorney Generals now -- all political.  I don’t think they uphold the law and they just can’t be trusted to do the right thing.”