Crusading N.J. Prosecutor Accused of Bullying Tactics, Cronyism
U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has an impressive record of battling political corruption, but opponents say he has resorted to the same kind of bullying and cronyism for which he has criticized others.
Even those who point to Christie’s successes say they are marred by his blurring of the line between his prosecutorial duties and political associations, the New York Times reports.
Christie was recently in the news for a no-bid contract awarded to the consulting firm of former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to monitor a company as part of a settlement in a fraud case.
But it’s not the only corporate monitor case that has drawn criticism. Christie’s office negotiated for a corporate monitor to reform bookkeeping procedures and end no-bid contracts at a New Jersey medical school. “Yet one of the biggest no-bid contracts to come out of the investigation was for the monitor itself,” the newspaper reports. The monitors were former political associates and their work cost more than $10 million.
Critics also say Christie resents criticism and appears to retaliate against those who challenge him. Lawyer Gina Mendola Longarzo, who defended a man charged with terrorism, criticized Christie in a newspaper article. Afterward, she was told she could no long enter prosecutors’ offices. (A Christie spokesman denies the charge.) “It’s not a good idea to butt heads with him publicly,” Longarzo told the Times.
In another case, the Times reports, critics said Christie retaliated against Essex County executive James Treffinger after an informant recorded him making a negative remark about Christie’s hefty frame. James Treffinger was arrested at gunpoint and had to spend six hours in handcuffs and leg shackles. Christie’s aides say U.S. marshals determined the arrest procedures because of fears that Treffinger had access to a gun.
