Neil Cohen

Attorney General Anne Milgram has spent a tremendous number of hours working on issues related to child pornography, and her office has arrested dozens of people for possessing pornographic materials on their computers already this year.   Earlier this week, Milgram called on Internet Service Providers to block access to child pornography.  Because this is one of her signature issues as New Jersey’s top law enforcement official, Milgram won’t be in a position to go easy on Neil Cohen, an Assemblyman who reportedly had child pornography on his office computer.  In the past, the Attorney General has pushed for jail terms for people who did what Cohen is accused of doing.

They probably could have looked the other way.

The news that Assemblyman Neil Cohen is under investigation for allegedly having child pornography on his office computer was painful to read.

But learning that it was his legislative runningmates -- Senator Ray Lesniak and Assemblyman Joe Cryan -- who turned him in was most shocking.

Lesniak and Cryan often get tagged as the bad guys in Jersey politics. And yet despite how difficult it must have been, they did the right thing by turning in their colleague.

We shouldn't lower the bar too much on what constitutes ethical behavior, but let's give credit where it's due. Not all legislators would have done the right thing in the same situation. Less than two years ago we learned that some of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's colleagues knew about his advances toward underage pages, yet remained silent. Some still remain in office.

We'll probably learn more about how this unfolded in the days and weeks ahead, but we should at least give credit to Ray Lesniak and Joe Cryan for the unenviable role they played in this sad chapter in New Jersey politics.

And while we're on the topic, if the legislators are looking for bonus points, they can extend their do-gooder streak by pushing to make sure that whoever replaces Cohen looks a little more like the people they represent.

Although the 20th district's residents are over one-fifth African American, one-third Hispanic, and one-half female, the delegation has been 100 percent white and male for a long time.

Who wants extra credit?

One suggestion for politics watchers: keep an eye on State Senator Nia Gill, who is also Assemblyman Neil Cohen’s longtime law partner.  The word is that Gill’s role in the investigation – as an advisor to Cohen – may have created a huge conflict with the state Attorney General’s office.  Gill probably had trouble with the A.G.’s office before the Cohen problem, but sources suggest that is has become exponentially worse over the last few days.

If he is convicted of possessing child pornography on his computer, Assemblyman Neil Cohen is looking at likely jail time – and spending the rest of his life as a registered sex offender.  That would make him the first legislator to be affected by Megan’s Law, legislation that he supported in the Legislature fourteen years ago. 

Assemblyman Neil Cohen is also likely to give up another position he holds: Delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Barack Obama.  Cohen was an early supporter of Obama’s presidential campaign, but an Obama campaign leader said tonight that they expect Cohen to resign his delegate post and be replaced by an alternate. 

Assemblyman Neil Cohen, who is expected to resign his seat in the Legislature amidst an investigation of child pornography on his office computer, will also give up one of the most powerful committee chairmanships in the Assembly: Financial Institutions and Insurance.  Speaker Joseph Roberts will decide who succeeds Cohen; possible candidates include Jack Conners, a Camden County Democrat (like Roberts) and a retired banker; and John Wisniewski, who now heads the also powerful Assembly Transportation Committee. Lower down on the list are John McKeon, who is a close political ally of Senate President Richard Codey; and current Vice Chair Grace Spencer, a freshman from Newark who served as Mayor Cory Booker’s Deputy Campaign Manager.

The child pornography investigation of Assemblyman Neil Cohen was touched off by his legislative running mates, the two legislators revealed this evening.

State Sen. Ray Lesniak and Assemblyman/Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan were notified of images found on Cohen’s computer by a staffer. They then reported the matter to the Office of Legislative Services, which in turn contacted the office of Attorney General Anne Milgram.

Below is the full joint statement from Cryan and Lesniak.

Look for Elizabeth Democrats to claim the Assembly seat currently held by Neil Cohen, possibly sending the first minority legislator from this heavily Democratic Union County district. Possible candidates include: Union County Freeholder Chairman Angel Estrada, City Councilmen Frank Cuesta, Many Grova, Nelson Gonzalez, Carlos Cedeño, and William Gallman; City Councilwoman Patricia Perkins-Auguste; and Annette Quijano, an Assistant Counsel to Goveror Jon Corzine.

Assembly Deputy Speaker Neil Cohen may be charged with having child pornography on his legislative office computer
Multiple sources say that Democratic Assemblyman Neil Cohen is under investigation by state authorities over allegations that he had child pornography on his legislative office computer.

According to the sources, Cohen has reportedly checked into a nearby psychiatric facility and has not yet been arrested.

Contacted on her cell phone, Cohen chief-of-staff Gleisha Givens said “no comment.”

On Friday morning, Lee Moore, spokesman for Attorney General Anne Milgram, told PolitickerNJ.com, "Our standard policy is we don't confirm or deny investigations."

Meanwhile, the Star-Ledger reports that authorities were tipped off by fellow Union County legislators Ray Lesniak and Joseph Cryan.

The Bergen Record also has a version of the story that points out that Cohen sponsored a bill in 2001 that created a computer hotline to report child pornography and other cyber crimes.

Cohen, who’s held the office since 1994, is the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. He is chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee and authored a stem cell research bill earlier this year.

COHEN: FAMILY CARE EXPANSION HUGE STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION

(PERTH AMBOY) - Immediately following Governor Jon S. Corzine's enactment of S-1557/A-2624 - legislation that significantly expands New Jersey's FamilyCare program and creates health coverage mandates for children - Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen (D-Union), a prime sponsor of the measure and a staunch advocate for health care reform, issued the following statement: