Did White House toss Healy from guest list?

By Wally Edge | October 21st, 2009 - 2:05pm
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The last time Barack Obama was in New Jersey, he gave a shout out to Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, calling him “the pride of New Jersey.”  That was July 16, the day five Jersey City police officers were shot in the line of duty.  Healy was also one of Obama’s leading New Jersey supporters in his bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination; he endorsed Obama while most of the state’s Democratic establishment was for Hillary Clinton.

Seven days after Obama’s visit, federal agents arrested a group of Hudson County politicians, some with close ties to Healy.  The next day, Healy acknowledged that he was the local official referred to in federal criminal complaints against Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, political consultant Jack Shaw, and Edward Cheatam, a former city housing authority commissioner. 

Now, as Obama returns to New Jersey to campaign for the governor’s re-election, expect him to stay away from Healy.  Democratic sources say that the White House had some problems with at least one of the Hudson County politicians on a guest list Democrats submitted for a VIP meet and greet with the President."

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