Christie has a hard time living up to his own standards on eliminating corruption. "Since the day he announced his candidacy, New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher J. Christie has been pitching himself as the corruption-busting lawman who will return ethics to state government. But lately, the former U.S. attorney has spent less time vowing to clean up Trenton than responding to allegations and defending his actions." [Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/20/09]
· Patrick Murray: Christie is 'no better than any other politician.' "For someone 'who is basing his entire strategy on portraying himself as someone who is different than a typical politician, this can be a fatal blow to his campaign,' Murray said. 'He's basically put all his eggs in his ethics basket. It's not so much that he's unethical, but that he's no better than any other politician.'" [Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/20/09]
· "What I find most puzzling is that Christie's "oversight" is at odds with his experience as a corruption fighter. He should have known better. Perhaps more than any other federal prosecutor who preceded him, Christie demonstrated how New Jersey's toothless disclosure laws foster corruption. It was a common theme in his indictments and convictions." [Bergen Record, 8/20/09]
· "If Christie was truly concerned about the pernicious dangers of poor disclosure, he should have set an example by reporting the loan two years ago instead of explaining himself amid a political firestorm. Despite his well-intentioned motives, Christie was still a federal employee who knew the rules, which are not as headache-inducing as he made them out to be. [Stile Column, Bergen Record, 8/20/09]
· "A high horse is a difficult thing to ride, as Chris Christie is finding out. After building his image as a white knight rescuing New Jersey from the dragon of corruption, Christie is showing some gaps in his armor." [Star-Ledger, 8/23/09]
· "The embarrassment for Christie is that he has made ethics a central part of his campaign, recently releasing a 10-point reform program, including plans to expand financial disclosure filings." [Fred Snowflack, Daily Record, 8/22/09]
· "He said he made a mistake. It's a big mistake for a former U.S. attorney to make." [Alfred Doblin column, Bergen Record, 8/21/09]
· "Christie has been thinking about running for governor for some time. He had to know that the loan would be problematic, at best." [Alfred Doblin column, Bergen Record, 8/21/09]
· "How could Christie not realize that giving a loan to Brown was more than a financial liability; it was a huge political mistake? It also was ethically wrong. He was her boss. How could Christie not realize the loan had to be reported? His entire brilliant career as U.S. attorney was constructed on the foundation that money transactions, particularly between people working in government, have to be transparent and reported. White Knight Christie has fallen off his horse. There are no seat belts on saddles." [Alfred Doblin column, Bergen Record, 8/21/09]
Christie made questionable loans to his employees and failed to disclose the information to the public. "Chris Christie, the Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey, showed poor judgment twice in lending $46,000 to a subordinate while he was U.S. Attorney. One mistake, as Christie acknowledged this week, was failing to disclose the loan on his income-tax and financial-disclosure forms.....The other mistake, which Christie can't quite seem to understand, was lending the money to a subordinate [Michele Brown] in the first place....Not only would it have become awkward if Brown failed to pay back the money, but the deal also creates a financial link between the gubernatorial candidate and the federal prosecutor's office. Christie supposedly broke his ties to that office when he resigned last December. Christie said he wasn't trying to hide anything. Regardless, he created a potential conflict for himself that should give voters some concern about his judgment." [Philadelphia Inquirer editorial, 8/22/09]
· New York Times: For N.J. Candidate, First Ethics Push Was Brief. "He billed himself as a corruption fighter, questioned the ethics of those in power and promised to put an end to no-bid contracts for the politically connected. But when Christopher J. Christie was elected and his reform proposal was voted down, he gave up the fight and went on to approve hundreds of such contracts, including more than 50 for contributors to his campaigns." [New York Times, 8/16/09]
· Ingrid Reed: 'It is a conflict of interest.' "[Christie] said he also does not see a conflict with the arrangement continuing now that he is running for governor. Brown pays Christie $500 a month, he said; at that rate, the loan will be repaid in 2017. 'It is a conflict of interest,' said Ingrid Reed of Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics, a member of Gov. Jon Corzine's local ethics task force. 'The conflict really started with making that kind of a loan to an employee. You would have hoped he had broken off all connections with the U.S. Attorney's Office, but he still has the relationship of being a lender to a person who is in that office.'" [AP, 8/19/09]
o "There's no legitimate reason for Christie -- or any U.S. Attorney -- to have spoken with Rove. While at the White House, Rove bulldozed the wall between the Justice Department and politics, rating U.S. Attorneys for "loyalty" and pushing to fire some who wouldn't mount politically motivated prosecutions...To avoid any political taint, Christie should not have been talking to anyone -- especially Rove -- about running for office until after he left the Justice Department." [Star-Ledger, 8/23/09]
Christie used his position as US Attorney to advance his personal goals and exempt himself from the laws he had sworn to uphold.
· "Christie talked to Rove about governor's race when he was U.S. Attorney." [Politico, 8/11/09]
· "N.J. GOP gubernatorial candidate and former federal prosecutor Chris Christie lent $46,000 to a top aide while still on the government payroll and failed to declare it on either his state or federal disclosure forms....This comes after last week's revelation, courtesy of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.), that Christie discussed his future political ambitions with former Bush White House aide Karl Rove while Christie was still serving as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey." [Politico, 8/18/09]
· New York Times: For N.J. Candidate, First Ethics Push Was Brief. "It's not shocking that Christie would discuss career options while he was still a prosecutor. But in the context of Rove's meddling, it creates the perception that Christie may have been subjected to partisan influences." [Philadelphia Inquirer editorial, 8/15/09]
· Christie's car should have been impounded according to normal police policy, but he was allowed to drive away after it came up that he was U.S. Attorney. "Christie was allowed to drive away from the traffic stop, even though the normal procedure in such cases is to have the uninsured car impounded on the spot. The fact Christie's job as U.S. attorney for New Jersey came up at the stop as Christie handed over his license and identification to the police officer may have had something to do with that. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges and paid a $250 fine. [Asbury Park Press editorial, 8/27/09]
PAWLENTY DIDN'T DISCLOSE OUTSIDE INCOME HE WAS RECEIVING WHILE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL...SOUND FAMILIAR?
Telecom Company Paid Pawlenty $4,500 A Month Retainer While Pawlenty Was Majority Leader And Gubernatorial Candidate. "From August 2001 through September 2002, Access Anywhere, a pay-phone company owned partly by Republican ally Elam Baer, paid Pawlenty, a lawyer, $4,500 per month on retainer." [St. Paul Pioneer Press, 7/17/03]
Pawlenty Did Not Disclose The Salary Until It Was Reported In the Press in July 2003, Saying It Was A Consulting Contract. The Pioneer Press reported that Pawlenty "said he was not obliged to list the pay on his economic disclosure forms when he was serving in the Legislature or running for governor because it was a consulting contract, not an employer-employee relationship. The law that requires candidates and officeholders to list their employment and investments does not cover professional services by lawyers and consultants." [Pioneer Press, 7/16/03]
· Pawlenty Failed To Disclose Income From NewTel Chairman On Financial Disclosure Forms. During the 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Pawlenty failed to disclose $60,000 for legal consulting work for a pay-phone company, Access Anywhere, run by his friend, Elam Baer. Baer was also the chairman of NewTel Holdings. Pawlenty did not report the income on his financial disclosure forms filed with the state's campaign finance board. Pawlenty formed a consulting firm, BAMCO, to accept payments from the firm and listed BAMCO on his disclosure forms under investments, not income. Pawlenty claimed he did not disclose receipt of the money because there was not a place to report consulting income. [Star Tribune, 9/8/03; Duluth News-Tribune, 8/31/03]
· Pawlenty Later Filed Amended Report That Included Income. In July 2003, Pawlenty filed an amended report to clarify the income he received from NewTel. [Star Tribune, 9/8/03]
· Pawlenty Did Not Include Time At Company In Campaign Biographies. Pawlenty did not include his service as a member of NewTel's board of directors in his 2002 campaign biographies. [Associated Press, 7/15/03]
Campaign Board Cleared Pawlenty Of Wrongdoing, But Recommended That The Legislature Close The Loophole Used By Pawlenty. Inquiries by the Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board and three county attorneys found no probable cause that Pawlenty broke the law with regard to his telecommunications connections. The Board ruled that because Pawlenty worked for a one-person operation, state law did not require him to report the income but did recommend that the legislature close the loophole that only requires candidates to report income from "associated businesses," defined as a group of two or more persons, who are not all members of an immediate family acting in concert. [Star Tribune, 1/4/04; St. Paul Pioneer Press, 8/28/03]
· GOP Attorney: Pawlenty Took Advantage Of Campaign Loophole. After the campaign finance board released its ruling, Doug Kelley, a board members and GOP attorney said that Pawlenty took advantage of a loophole in state campaign disclosure laws big enough to "drive an aircraft carrier through." [Star Tribune, 8/29/03]
· Pawlenty Was Found Not To Have Broken Any Law In Regard To His Telecom Connections. "The legislative auditor found no evidence of improper influence at the Commerce Department, and inquiries by the campaign board and county attorneys found no probable cause that Pawlenty broke any laws with regard to his telecom business connections." [Star Tribune, 1/4/04]
Star Tribune Editorial: Pawlenty's "Belated and Partial Revelations...Raise As Many Questions As They Answer." The Star Tribune editorialized, "In the weeks since news broke about Pawlenty's business ties with NewTel Holdings and other firms headed by his longtime friend Elam Baer, the governor has made belated and partial revelations that raise as many questions as they answer. But those questions have been clouded in a diversionary fog... If a candidate for governor can be on the payroll of a special-interest friend and shield that fact from voters with impunity, Minnesotans can be sure that many more office-seekers will have such arrangements _ and that voters won't know about them when they go to the polls." [Editorial, Star Tribune, 8/7/03]
Star Tribune Editorial: Pawlenty's Ties To Telecom Firm Raised "Awkward Questions About Governor's Judgment." In July 2003, when Pawlenty's ties to NewTel were disclosed, the Star Tribune editorialized, "...This affair raises awkward questions about the governor's judgment. By joining the NewTel Holdings' board of directors in late 1999, Pawlenty chose to enter a business, telecom marketing, with a reputation for exploiting consumers. [Editorial, Star Tribune, 7/16/03]
Star Tribune Editorial: Pawlenty Was Not Forthcoming With Voters. The Star Tribune editorialized that although Pawlenty was cleared by the Board's decision, "he cannot say he was forthcoming with voters. His service as a board member and paid consultant to a group of telecommunications firms with a checkered consumer-practices record was carefully never mentioned with candidate Pawlenty touted his private sector credentials." [Star Tribune, 8/29/03]
