The GOP candidate for Governor in New Jersey, Chris Christie, began the race by touting his law enforcement and ethics credentials. Over the summer, we learned that the reality didn't match the rhetoric. A story in today's New York Times completely destroyed what's left of Christie's credibility. Christie's former top aide, Michelle Brown, used the U.S. Attorney's Office to aid Christie's gubernatorial campaign:
When news broke in August that the former United States attorney, Christopher J. Christie, had lent $46,000 to a top aide in the federal prosecutor’s office, he said he was merely helping a friend in need. He also said the aide, Michele Brown, had done nothing to help his gubernatorial campaign.Brown interfered with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and tried to time a major corruption bust to benefit Christie. As we've become well aware, Karl Rove completely politicized the U.S. Attorneys across the country. Christie's actions were standard operating procedure for appointees of George Bush. Here's the key paragraph:
But interviews with federal law enforcement officials suggest that Ms. Brown used her position in two significant and possibly improper ways to try to aid Mr. Christie in his run for governor.
The possibility that Ms. Brown may have helped Mr. Christie’s campaign from inside the United States attorney’s office casts a new light on their relationship and on the prosecutor’s office. Federal law and Justice Department policy prohibit prosecutors from using their “official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.”Devastating.
It sure does cast new light on the relationship between Christie and Brown. Over the summer, polls showed Christie way ahead of Governor Corzine. Latest polling, via Taegan Goddard, shows a dead heat -- and Democrats are coming home to Corzine.
