Thursday, January 26, 2006

KING GEORGE III AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE NORTHERN CROSS

Oh, well, it would've been nice to nail both Lynch and Norcross.
Today's Asbury Park Press contains some interesting information. On the Front Page is an
article where U. S. Attorney Christopher Christie criticizes the State Attorney General's Office for "bequeathing him a botched probe of the Palmyra tapes case."
This investigation involved Camden County Democratic powerbroker George E. Norcross III.
The criticism covers the AG's office under more than one administration. This is a chilling revelation, as it reveals the power that Norcross wields. The question arises, was this the work of several Attorneys General of both parties, acting serially to protect Norcross? Or should one look further down the chain of command; are there lower-level people, people who are supposedly non-political and stay on regardless of administration, but who are protecting Norcross? Is there an issue here of incompetence or corruption?

Today's
editorial is related. State Attorney General nominee Zulima Farber was approved Monday by an 8-2 vote by the State Senate Judiciary Committee, with Republican Senators Gerald Cardinale (Bergen) and Joseph Kyrillos (Monmouth-Middlesex) voting no. She is expected to sail through confirmation in the full Senate next Monday.
The editorial points out her toxic driving record, that she is a lightweight in criminal prosecutions, and that her chief claim to fame is the fact that she is a Democratic partisan hack. The Press recommends that Bozo-coiffed Governor Corzine withdraw her nomination, and failing that, that the Senate not confirm the appointment.
This is related to the Norcross case because we as citizens of New Jersey depend upon the Attorney General's Office to be a strong link in the law-enforcement chain. This has not been the case, and apparently has not been for many years; Peter Harvey being the poster child for incompetent AG's. It should not have to fall upon the United States Justice Department to prosecute every corruption case that comes along, but it does because the State Attorney General's and County Prosecutors' offices have been weak links.
Former Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye was criticized for being soft on political corruption; indeed he was the subject of similar criticism to that of the AG's office. Corzine's predecessor, Gov. Dick Codey did the right thing by appointing Luis Valentin as Monmouth County prosecutor. Valentin came from the U. S. Attorney's office and presumably would not work at cross-purposes with the Feds.
Wouldn't it make sense for Corzine to do the same as Codey and nominate a competent person to the AG's post instead of a hack, another "See No Evil"? Oh yeah, that's right, Corzine is Norcross' boy.

A time line of the case can be found
here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"This investigation involved Camden County Democratic powerbroker George E. Norcross III."

This is Dibella Boss --Right??

Anonymous said...

it is time for joe to back out.

He who runs away --
lives to fight another day