John Ashcroft

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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. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8), right, (with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg).: Politicker photo 

Two New Jersey congressmen intend to announce tomorrow their plans for legislation to regulate how U.S. attorneys award federal monitoring contracts.

Their Washington, D.C. news conference comes as part of the fallout from U.S. Attorney Chris Christie’s having awarded his former boss, former Attorney General John Ashcroft, a federal monitoring contract in which Ashcroft could make up to $52 million.

As part of their investigation, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8) and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6) requested full disclosure of 85 deferred and non-prosecution agreements and lists of corporate monitors selected in 41 agreements.

Some House Democrats are touting stories that the Justice Department has awarded mega million dollar federal monitor contracts to oversee deferred prosecution agreements (dpas)to thirty politically connected former prosecutors and government officials as a fledgling scandal, but one key Senate Democrat says he hasn't heard about it yet.

U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE), a member (and former Chairman) of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was asked about a New York Times editorial and story on federal monitors and dpas at a press availability yesterday for Frank Lautenberg's re-election campaign.

“What monitors?” asked Biden.

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.

Sunday at 10:30 a.m., catch Reporters Roundtable, hosted by Michael Aron and featuring The Bergen Record’s Charles Stile, NJN’s Jim Hooker, Mark DiOnno from the Star-Ledger and PolitickerNJ.com’s Matt Friedman.  The group will discuss New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s fall from grace, the U.S. Senate race, the budget and John Ashcroft’s recent testimony. 

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said that the Justice Department’s regarding the hiring of monitors federal oversight contracts are encouraging, but he doesn’t think they go far enough.

“The Department's new policies regarding the selection and use of monitors is an overdue step to make sure that lucrative contracts are not funneled to insiders, including former political office-holders and appointees,” he said in a statement.

WASHINGTON -- New Jersey Reps. Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell say they aren’t satisfied by today’s Congressional hearings on deferred prosecution agreements.

The two Democrats hope to investigate the matter further and will continue to push the committee, on which they do not sit, to get U.S. Attorney Chris Christie to testify.

WASHINGTON -- United States Attorney Christopher Christie didn’t attend today’s Congressional hearing, but his presence loomed over the proceedings.

The hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law was broken up into two panels: the first consisted of former Attorney General John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney David Nahmias, University of Virginia Law Professor Brandon Garrett and attorneys Timothy Dickinson and George Terwilliger III. The second panel consisted of New Jersey Democrats Bill Pascrell and Frank Pallone.

Republican members of the committee stressed that deferred prosecution agreements were vital to keeping companies that employ thousands solvent, and noted that monitors were not paid with taxpayer dollars. Democrats questioned whether corporations were getting a separate form of justice from blue collar criminals.

John Ashcroft displays copies of The Record to defend Chris Christie's corruption-busting record: Getty Images Photo
WASHINGTON -- In a combative exchange with Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), former Attorney General John Ashcroft jumped to U.S. Attorney Chris Christie’s defense.

After Sanchez asked whether the selection process complied with the type of guidelines the Justice Department laid out yesterday, Ashcroft said that she was implying that Christie was a “law violator.”

“I really don’t believe that Mr. Christie is a law violator. His record as a prosecutor is an outstanding record,” Ashcroft said.

Ashcroft then held up two copies of Bergen Record headlines about Christie’s public corruption convictions and insinuated that there were partisan motivations behind today’s hearing.