Posted on 10/28/2003 3:07:59 PM PST by Liz
Although they swear that Robert G. Torricelli never really had an inside track, several top officials in the McGreevey administration said last week that the former U.S. senator has been declared radioactive and his clients are to get nothing from the state.
"The word from the front office is he's cut off," said one Cabinet officer, using the Trenton insider term for the governor's office. "They said, 'Cut him off and the people he brings around.' I sent the word to my people not to send anything he's connected with to my desk."
Another Cabinet member said there had initially been sympathy toward Torricelli and "a willingness to help him as he started a new phase in his career" as a business consultant following his abrupt exit under an ethical cloud from the U.S. Senate race in September 2002.
"But things quickly turned exploitive, and in some cases, dishonest," the Cabinet member said. "He has gone to people claiming he can deliver the front office or particular Cabinet members or funding streams because of his influence. He was trying to bolster his credibility at the expense of the governor."
A third administration source said the directive was less severe than a complete freeze-out. "He gets treated like everybody else, and doesn't get special treatment," the source said. "They [the governor's aides] clearly don't want it to look like they're doing anything for him."
In a brief interview, Torricelli scoffed at the suggestion he had been frozen out. "It was ridiculous when it was said I was running the government, and this is ridiculous, too," he said. "Instead of the Democratic Party going to war with itself, there is some need for some solidarity to deal with what is obviously a troubling political situation."
Asked if he was referring to the governor's sliding poll numbers, Torricelli said, "You may interpret that statement yourself."
Sources said administration officials, already worried about the governor's sagging popularity, were worried about the effect of reports in The New York Times and The Star-Ledger that said rather than fading away in disgrace, Torricelli was building a consulting business based in part on his political connections with McGreevey.
"Torricelli's his own worst enemy," a fourth administration official said. "If you have influence, you don't need to brag about it, people should just know it." Lending credibility to the stories of Torricelli's influence with the administration were numerous sightings this summer of the former senator emerging from State House offices and allegations that he offered his services to casino executives as a go-between on a controversial administration tax plan. Also, several former Torricelli aides are in key positions on McGreevey's staff.
The governor's chief of staff, Jamie Fox, held that same post in Torricelli's office, and was succeeded by Eric Shuffler, now counselor to the governor. Paul Fader, chief of the unit of the governor's office that oversees state authorities, also once worked for Torricelli.
The appearance that McGreevey, already wounded by misjudgments and apparent backtracking on promises to reform ethics, was taking advice from Torricelli and helping him with his business did more than hurt the governor in the polls.
It also provided ammunition for Torricelli's rivals in the Democratic Party to grumble about McGreevey and push for Fox's ouster. Though now a trusted aide to the governor, Fox had managed Torricelli's 12-day effort in 2000 to push McGreevey out of the governor's race, and many McGreevey loyalists still have not forgiven him.
Because the anonymous sources who spoke to The Record provided no specifics about what Torricelli had been seeking from the government or when and where he exaggerated his influence, there is no way to tell if his ostracism is genuine or simply a public relations gesture to address a perception problem. One source who is not in the administration suggested the episode may have been orchestrated by other Democrats who want to profit from their influence with McGreevey and saw Torricelli as competition.
McGreevey spokeswoman Kathy Ellis denied anything significant had happened at all. "No one is persona non grata in this administration," she said. "If Senator Torricelli or, frankly, anyone else of his experience has something to say on any of the issues that matter to the state, the door is open."
Torricelli said state work is not a primary focus of his business interests, and defended his former aides. "Jamie Fox and Paul Fader and Eric Shuffler work for Jim McGreevey," Torricelli said. "They are no longer my employees. and Jim McGreevey is running this government. Any allegations that their loyalties are elsewhere was never well-founded and are ridiculous."
Although lobbyists who seek to influence legislation or state regulations are required to disclose their clients and how much they are paid, there are no disclosure requirements for lobbying on government contracts or the tens of millions of dollars in subsidies the state awards annually.
As such, Torricelli is not required to disclose what he is being paid by a real estate developer, Matrix Development Group, that is trying to lure a major insurance company from Philadelphia to Camden and bank offices to Newark. There also are no requirements that Torricelli disclose his relationship with Charles Kushner's attempt to buy the New Jersey Nets. Kushner is an apartment housing mogul and mega-campaign contributor.
Administration officials said the Torricelli-Kushner group was trying to structure a plan to renovate Continental Arena so that the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority could be left with some of the cost if ticket sales fell short.
Such a scenario would have embarrassed the administration, which steadfastly maintains that taxpayers will not foot the bill for renovations to the arena or Giants Stadium. Sports authority officials have said that any financing plan to provide more lucrative luxury boxes would be available to whoever buys the Nets, a decision that reportedly angered Torricelli.
He had wanted the potential revenues from luxury boxes to be available only for the Kushner group, which would make its offer more attractive to the current Nets owners, according to the officials. Kushner may still end up owning the Nets as they play in a renovated Meadowlands arena.
The administration is taking pains, however, to let people know that if that happens, it would not be a sweetheart deal arranged by Torricelli.
Sleazy Dumbocrats can't stand on their own two feet. They are greedy parasites who feed off each other in order to survive. They use each other to get their filthy hands on the taxpayers funds. These people are disgusting.
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