Playing Politics With Prosecutions
Joe Ferriero...A Clear Case In Point
CHRIS CHRISTIE IS NOT RIGHT FOR NJ
Karl Rove Advises Chris Christie
On September 9, 2008, then U.S. Attorney Chris Christie put his name to the last page of an indictment against Bergen County Democratic powerhouse Joseph Ferriero for alleged offenses supposedly committed as far back as 2001.
Read the full Joseph Ferriero Indictment
In the weeks leading up to the start of Ferriero's September 2009 trial just over one year later, internet bloggers are questioning Christie's political motivations for indicting Democrats for acts Republican Christie himself has now admitted being guilty of committing himself.
Chris "Nervous Wreck" Christie
However, the more relevant fact that may cast doubt on the legitimacy of Christie's indictment of Ferriero is the reality that it is highly unlikely that Christie, now the Republican candidate for New Jersey Governor, could win his 2009 campaign if Ferriero was still in place running the powerful Democratic Organization in Bergen County. No Republican has won a statewide election in New Jersey unless they win Bergen County. Under Ferriero's leadership of the Bergen County Democratic Party, Republicans for nearly every office have lost Bergen County. Christie Bergen Must Win County
Christie knew that in order to be successful as a republican running for statewide office he had to get rid of Ferriero
http://www.politickernj.com
Joseph A. Ferriero (1998-2008)
September 10, 2008 - 9:29am
By Rob Tornoe
In 2008, political cartoonists poked fun at Christie for using his position as U.S. Attorney to help his soon to be announced 2009 campaign for governor. They also depicted Christie sticking a fork in the back of Ferriero, eliminating what would be his main threat to winning Bergen County in his 2009 campaign.
Click here for more Political Cartoons at www.politickernj.com about Chris Christie and Joe Ferriero
Christie resigned the U.S. Attorney's position in December of 2008 to prepare to run as the Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey. In the months and weeks leading up to his exit from office, Christie stepped up his investigation and eventual indictment of Ferriero. Feds Step Up Inquiry of Bergen Democrat - Christie seeks all files on lawyer and agency
Christie's use of the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is supposed to be a non-partisan prosecutor's job, was revealed as highly political in August of 2009 when documents dating back to 2005 showed Christie was ranked by Karl Rove, former President George W. Bush's top political operative, as one of the most politically loyal U.S. Attorneys to the president.
Chris Christie Ranked By Bush
Rove had been proven to have a great deal of influence at the U.S. Justice department,especially in the scandal initiating the firing of U.S. Attorneys who failed to use their positions to go after Democrats.
Christie's name was originally on the first two lists of U.S. Attorneys to be fired. Reports speculate that he saved his job by joining the ranks of prosecutors in the Bush Administration using their positions to go after Democrats. In Christie's case, the most prominent Democrat was the 2006 Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in New Jersey, Bob Menendez. Christie's office issued subpoenas tarring Menendez during the fall campaign and leaked the information to the press. Menendez eventually won a close race and the investigation Christie began never went beyond the election.
In August 2009, the story broke that after Christie saved his job as U.S. Attorney in 2006, he received political advice directly from Rove in 2006 through 2007 on his planned campaign for Governor of New Jersey in 2009. Christie admitted conversations took place, but denies the discussions violated the law, even though he was ethically bound to stay removed from politics as U.S. Attorney. Christie admitted conversations took place with Karl Rove
What details Rove and Christie discussed about Christie's impending campaign remains a secret. However, Rove's tactics in using the FBI and the Justice Department against Democrats for political purposes in campaigns is clear.
In 1990, Rove used the FBI to investigate the Democratic opponent of his Republican client in Texas. The Democrat lost. Rove's client, Rick Perry, is the current Republican Governor of Texas.
A decade later, as President Bush's top aide in the White House, Rove used the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alabama to repeatedly go after a popular Democratic incumbent Governor, Don Siegelman, because the Republicans could not beat him. Today, as Siegelman serves 7 years in federal prison, over 50 Democrat and Republican former state Attorney Generals are petitioning to overturn the conviction of what they view as a highly politically and unethically motivated prosecution.http://www.cbsnews.com
http://www.time.com
The year after Christie first spoke with Rove he lent his former top Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michelle Brown, $46,000 which Christie failed to both disclose on his ethics forms as required by law or report the interest on for his income taxes. It is unclear what role Brown played in the investigation of Ferriero as Democrats are still waiting for disclosure by the U.S. Justice Department regarding which cases she handled for Christie. Woman Christie lent money quits US post
Now reports have emerged that Christie still speaks with the U.S. Attorneys from his old office that are prosecuting Ferriero. In fact, Christie has stated that he has promised them jobs if he wins his campaign for governor. Chris Christie former US Attorney claims hes still got federal prosecutors
The Ultimate Prosecutorial Weapon: Honest Services Fraud
Ferriero's trial begins September 15, 2009 as Christie's campaign for Governor in must win Bergen County goes into full swing for November.
Christie Facts