Two weeks before the budget is due, Corzine really doesn't need stress from Sami Merhi

Democrat-turned-Independent Passaic County Freeholder candidate Sami Mehri has gotten into even more hot water as a result of new comments he has made to the press, this time suggesting a quid pro quo arrangement where he would drop out of the . In 2002, Mehri was quoted by the New York Times as saying that he could not see the comparison between Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel and terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center on September 11th. As a result of his comments, Governor Jon Corzine and Senator Robert Menendez released a statement earlier this year that they could not support Merhi's candidacy as a Democratic Freeholder. The Passaic County Democratic Organization, which had initially voted to nominate run Merhi, rescinded his nomination in light of his statements to the New York Times.

Last month, Merhi's request to be placed on the primary ballot as a Democratic candidate was tossed out by a judge in Passaic County. Merhi then filed to run as an Independent candidate, implying that he was acting to syphon general election votes from the Passaic County Democratic Organization, which had stripped him of its support.

Now, new comments Merhi made to the Herald News last week could land him in even more political hot water. On June 11, Merhi told the Herald News that he would drop his candidacy in exchange for an appointment to a state board by Corzine. What Merhi surely must have realized is that his request is blatantly illegal, since political favors cannot be traded for government jobs. Now Merhi's public comments have put Corzine in an untenable position: he would be hard pressed to appoint Merhi to a board when Merhi has indicated that this deal would be done purely in exchange for his dropping out as a political candidate. It would be difficult for Corzine, who quickly decried candidate Merhi's comments regarding Palestinian suicide bombers, to reward Merhi with a government appointment.