Posted: 3/9/2007 10:29:08 AM EDT
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Once again, corruption probe rocks NJ BY TOM HESTER JR. ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER Friday, March 9, 2007 TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Former New Jersey Gov. Brendan Byrne has often joked that he wants to be buried in north Jersey because "that way I can stay active in politics." Of course, dead people can't really vote, but it's a running joke that underscores New Jersey's rough-and-tumble political image. Ghostly voters aside, the Garden State has become ensnared in another political corruption inquiry. The latest investigation into possible political misconduct is one of the biggest ever. Federal agents have delivered grand jury subpoenas to every key state official, all the way up to Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine. "Even for a state that is infamous for widespread misconduct by public officials, this has got to be a new low," said Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce. U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie is reviewing whether state lawmakers have personally benefited from so-called "Christmas tree" items -- grants included in the budget at the final hour, without public review or discussion. "This reinforces the stereotype about how rampant corruption is throughout the state, especially these subpoenas because they're aimed at essentially the whole Legislature," said Joseph Marbach, a political scientist and dean at Seton Hall University. Some view the latest investigation as business as usual in New Jersey, a state whose reputation for political corruption was bolstered in 2004 when James E. McGreevey resigned as governor after acknowledging a gay affair with a man he'd appointed to a key homeland security post. Statewide, more than 100 officials have been convicted on government corruption charges since Christie, a former county freeholder and fundraiser for President Bush, took office five years ago. He's convicted Democrats and Republicans alike, including the leading Republican U.S. Senate hopeful in 2002, a former Democratic Senate president and political power broker and numerous local officials for bribery, extortion and other corruption charges. "No public corruption is acceptable and we're going to go after whatever we can find and we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt," Christie said. Democrats who control state government have vowed cooperation with the latest investigation, including Corzine, a U.S. senator from 2001 to January 2006 and a former Goldman Sachs chairman. "We would all would be better served to make sure that appropriations for whatever purposes go through the process and are vetted," the governor said. "I'm fully supportive of that and I'm going to demand it in this year's budget and every succeeding budget." The inquiry stems from an investigation into the University of Medicine and Dentistry, a state medical school that promotes itself as the nation's largest health sciences university but has become tarnished by revelations of political patronage, fraud and abuse. In September, a federal monitor alleged Sen. Wayne Bryant received a job at the school that involved little more than reading newspapers for three hours once a week. The monitor alleged Bryant helped steer millions in state money to the school through his role as Senate budget chairman, a post he subsequently resigned. Bryant has refused to comment. Rider University political scientist David Rebovich said the federal investigation seems to fit right in with New Jersey's reputation. "In a state like New Jersey, with Gov. McGreevey resigning and tawdry tales of influence peddling before and since, it's no surprise subpoenas are being dropped all over," he said. |
| Now now... Not all guns. Just the dangerous ones that have no practical use other than mass murder and terrorism. You know, anything that has black plastic furniture, or doesn't have a flying duck scene engraved on the side in gold leaf. Well, that is as long as it isn't a "high-velocity armor piercing sniper rifle" I guess, then the duck engraving doesn't count. |