February 21, 2008 - 8:27pm
Christie revved up for likely last year as U.S. Attorney
By Max Pizarro
Tags: Christopher Christie
VINELAND - Addressing the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce at the Ramada Inn today, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said he has no intention of lifting his foot off the accelerator in what is likely to be his last 11 months in office as the feds’ top cop in New Jersey.
"One hundred and twenty-five times we have charged people and 125 times we have met the burden," said Christie of his prosecution of public corruption since 2002. "The people who criticize our office can’t back it up. Our record speaks for itself."
The Republican U.S. Attorney acknowledged that the end of President George W. Bush’s presidency would probably mean the end of his own tenure, but in the meantime he wakes up everyday still thrilled by his job.
As always, he acknowledged he can’t do it without the public, and called on the crowd of about 100 people to help him and his office of 149 attorneys.
"As a reformed politician, I will tell you the only thing a politician understands is defeat, they understand it acutely," said Christie, veteran of a failed Assembly campaign in the 1990s; and a prospective gubernatorial candidate in 2009.
Bad politicians need to be voted out of office so the ones left standing get the message, said Christie, a tough task perhaps for those accustomed to a bad situation.
"Our unofficial state song if the song of cynicism," said the U.S. Attorney. "We get caught up in the sense that ‘someone else should fix the problem,’ and ‘wake me up when it’s over.’ I understand that in New Jersey we pride ourselves on having a hard edge. That’s ok. We’re stuck between New York and Philly. Maybe it’s inevitable. But we need to take our state back."
The message was simple: vote. Get involved Stay involved.
"We have no more solemn obligation than to leave this place better than it was left for us," said Christie. "We know our parents and grandparents met that test. If we don’t meet that test, what will our children say to us?"
While taking some questions from the audience, Christie told the crowd he is very encouraged by how new state Attorney General Anne Milgram is fulfilling her role as a crime fighter.
"The AG you have now is one of the most outstanding people I have met in law enforcement," said Christie. "She’s a straight arrow. She’s smart. She’s as good as you’re going to find, and she’s only 37 years old. She’s going to do a fabulous job as your AG."
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Record
I can't complain about 125 for 125 but I'd be happier with 1500 for 3000.
Christie
Imagine if Al Gore or John Kerry had the chance to pick our US Attorney.
125 felons would be free today.
Hopefully, Christie takes his show to Camden County in his final year. Jeff Nash, George Norcross, Pretty Boy Lou G. "Joke Job at R&V" would be great places to start.
camdenbeer@yahoo.com
Jokes!
First of all, CMDNBEER, many of the 125 are free and never spent a day in jail. Let's not pretend that Christie was putting everyone in irons for 10 year stints of hard time. Most of his convictions were local officials who took a few grand here and a few grand there and got off with fines or turning other people in.
And as for this article, did Christie pay for the ad or is it going to be on the ELEC report as an in-kind donation?
Can't Back it Up?
I thought NY Times did a decent job at making a case against Christie's use of deferred prosecution agreements as party favors for Ashcroft and others. The Bush Justice Department has increased the use of these agreements from seven during the Clinton administration to over thirty in the last seven years. There is a big difference between opening the phone book and blindly pointing at a attorney listing for a monitor appointment, and making a selection process that shoots for something more calling an old boss who is in a law practice with a couple of his buddies to they were interested in a $52 million contract.
Aside from the fact that Christie merely sets the agenda in his office and is not well regarded as a lawyer, he cannot expect to campaign as a crusader against corruption if his own ethics don't bear scrutiny.
NJ Justice
How many people have been charged by the NJ AG? All the corruption in this state and the only person making cases Christie. I think the real shame and partisanship is from the Democratic party.
Keep the streak alive: 125-0
I would like everyone to join me in calling upon Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain to recognize the superb record of accomplishment of our very special U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie and to publicly pledge to reappoint him to his post as top prosecutor in the state of New Jersey upon their election as President of the United States.
It will be a terrible day for good government when Mr. Christie steps down from his office. We must not let the end of the Bush administration mean the renewal of rampant, unchecked corruption in this state. The situation is bad enough right now, I cannot even imagine what it will be like without Mr. Christie leading the hunt for the bad guys who are breaking the public trust, riding roughshod over the taxpayers.
On The Waterfront since 1954
Chris Christie is an Abject Failure as US Attorney
With "149" full time attorneys on his prosecuting staff and probably a large number of investigative and support staff Christie brags about 125 convictions since 2002?!? That works out to less than one conviction per attorney per the whole six years!!!
That's not good enough!
I bet there are many hundreds of whistleblowers who have submitted evidence of ilegal actions who's information was never fully investigated or acted on over the last six years.
I suggest that Mr Christie spend a few hours chatting with some of these whistleblowers who have sufffered all manner of abuse and retaliation. Some of them have actually won civil lawsuits against their abusers.
The corruption in NJ, in BOTH parties, is systemic.
There is hardly any money spent, or contract closed, or hire that isn't in some way related to pay to play, or some kind of "connection" or sweetheart deal.......alot of this coruption is legalized and "business as usual"; but much of it could have been investigated and prosecuted,
Bill Brennan said it well up top...there could have been 1500 convictions without breaking a sweat. Especially given that in many cases, whole departments are being run by corrupt "old boys networks" that conspire to screw employees that dare to to their jobs right. Brennan was one who fought back; and he won in court.
The average New Jerseyan doesn't follow the details of the news or of policy as closely as some of the folks here; but I assure you...they know they are being screwed left and right! They know the
"fix is in" and that the system is corrupt.
Christie is trying to portray himself as this great crime fighter and reformer. What a load of complete bull. He works for an administration that is so dirty that it makes people like Joe Coniglio look like an accused jaywalker compared to seasoned armed robbers.
Coniglio took 5k a month from a hospital to, allegedly, influence some grants to them....so how is that all that different from the legalized sweetheart deal that Christie steered to his ex boss....to whom he is beholden? The quids and the quos may not be as clearly cut in the latter; but it's essentially the same old crap. Political influence translates into money.....and that's WRONG!!!
Christie is not part of the solution; he's part of the problem. As a partisan Democrat I say; bring him on....as a citizen of NJ I say to the Republican party; you can do better, and the people of this state deserve better.
Here's some video of the kind of man, and policies, Christie has been loyal to and supportive of over the last six years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmc60JmaLbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIbNymjsDvA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2gs-NUtc&feature=related
There are thousands of media pieces and books that expose the horrors of the Bush administration. If Chris Christie thinks he can just walk away clean from the dirtiest and most incompetent administration in modern history....he's mistaken.
I will give Christie for some good rhetoric: he says....
"Our unofficial state song if the song of cynicism," said the U.S. Attorney. "We get caught up in the sense that ‘someone else should fix the problem,’ and ‘wake me up when it’s over.’ I understand that in New Jersey we pride ourselves on having a hard edge. That’s ok. We’re stuck between New York and Philly. Maybe it’s inevitable. But we need to take our state back."
The message was simple: vote. Get involved Stay involved."
People like Chris Christie are who we have to take our state back FROM!!!
Unless scores of thousands of Republican AND Democratic grass roots activists take over and push their respective parties to change; there will be no real change. Just a lot of lip service and BS.
PS Beware of anonymous paid PR hacks/flaks who portray Christie as some kind of perfect hero. Do I really have to mention any "names"? LOL
From Frederick Douglass
Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce
the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce??
does he really have nothing better to do??
sounds like a campaign stop on the rubber chicken circuit