Frank Pallone

If these allegations are true, then it is very important that New Jersey find and aid any state patients victimized by political failures, Kean said. Governor Corzine should order the health commissioner to start her inquiry today.

Today's must-read story comes from the New York Times, which reports that after scientists for the Food and Drug Administration ruled that a medical device was unsafe and often failed, U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, and U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone and Steven Rothman successfully exerted pressure on the FDA to change their decision.  The manufacturer of Menaflex, a patch for injured knees, ReGen Biologics, Inc., made what the Times called "significant" contributions to their campaigns a few months before they intervened with the FDA.

Another signal of which Democrat might be leading the U.S. Senate sweepstakes if an open seat were to come up: U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) will host a dinner for Gov. Jon Corzine on Friday at the 2009 Democratic State Conference in Atlantic City.  Former Vice President Al Gore will be the keynote speaker.  Pallone has expanded his universe of Democratic friends as one of the first to criticize then-U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, now the Republican candidate for Governor, for hiring ex-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to a lucrative federal monitor post.

If Democrats dropped Jon Corzine and ran Cory Booker or Frank Pallone, Republican Christopher Christie would still be ahead, according to a poll released today by Public Policy Polling (PPP), a North Carolina-based firm that polls for Democrats.

Christie leads Booker, the Mayor of Newark, by a 41%-33% margin, and has a 20-point lead over Pallone, a twelve-term Congressman, 43%-23%.  A PPP poll released on Tuesday has Christie leading Corzine 44%-35%, with 13% for Independent Christopher Daggett.

"In 2002 when New Jersey Democrats changed their Senate nominee it went from a likely loss to a relatively easy win almost instantly," said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. "But if they tried that this year it looks like they'd continue polling just as poorly as they already are."

Booker has a 41%-20% favorable rating statewide, while Pallone is upside-down at 14%-25%.

PPP surveyed 500 likely New Jersey voters from September 11-14 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.5%.

New Jersey's congressional delegation voted 8-5 along party lines in support of a House resolution voicing disapproval of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who shouted "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress last week.  Democrats John Adler, Rob Andrews, Rush Holt, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne, Steven Rothman, and Albio Sires voted yes.  Republicans Rodney Frelinghuysen, Scott Garrett, Leonard Lance, Frank LoBiondo and Christopher Smith voted no.  The resolution passed 240-17.  Seven Republicans voted yes and twelve Democrats voted no.

A North Carolina-based Democratic polling is asking Democratic voters if they would prefer Newark Mayor Cory Booker or U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) as their candidate for Governor.  The Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey is expected to be released on Thursday.

A PPP poll has Gov. Jon Corzine trailing Republican Christopher Christie, 44%-35%.

Five weeks before the 2002 general election, Democrats switched their candidate after Republican Douglas Forrester took a commanding lead in the race for United States Senator against the incumbent, Robert Torricelli.  Corzine said in July that he will not get out of the race.

New Jersey's two U.S. Senators and the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Health subcommitte issued statements tonight following President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress:

Today, Assemblyman Alex DeCroce issued the following statement condemning Congressman Frank Pallone's inappropriate politicization of his Congressional committee oversight:

The chairman of a congressional subcommittee reviewing deferred prosecution agreements has given former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, above, until September 4 to answer additional questions regarding a settlement with Zimmer Holdings

The chairman of a House Judiciary Subcommittee that questioned former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie last June on his use of deferred prosecution agreements has given the Republican gubernatorial candidate until September 4 to fully respond to questions asked by several members of the panel.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), the chairman of the Commercial and Administrative Law subcommittee, called Christie's responses to additional questions "particularly unsatisfactory." 

After the hearing, Cohen sent Christie a series of questions related to a settlement with Zimmer Holdings.  Christie's decision to appoint former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft as a federal monitor to oversee the deferred prosecution agreement has become an issue in the gubernatorial campaign.

"For all but two of the questions, you responded with a general assertion that the questions were answered in your oral and written testimony," Cohen wrote to Christie.  "At times you cited page numbers in the unofficial hearing transcript, which on further inspection appear not to contain anythig responsive, and which in any event will be confusing to those who will have only the officially published hearing record." 

Cohen said that the answers to those two questions are incomplete.

Correspondence between Christie and Cohen was released today by two Democratic congressmen from New Jersey, Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson).

Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra says that the delay in fulfilling a document request by Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign is partly a result of the need to remove references to confidential witnesses and in some cases the protection of attorney-client privilege. 

"We  have devoted and continue and devote significant resources daily to the task of fulfilling these FOIA requests," Marra said in a statement released this afternoon, several hours after U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) wrote U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to complain about the delays.

The Corzine campaign is seeking documents related to the seven-year tenure of his GOP opponent, Christopher Christie, as the U.S. Attorney.

The full text of Marra's statement: