Posted on 08/24/2007 7:43:29 AM PDT by RDTF
When he was last running for the United States Senate from New Jersey in 2002, Robert G. Torricelli collected donations from thousands of people who apparently wanted to see him re-elected. They might be surprised to see how he spent a portion of their money.
Mr. Torricelli, a Democrat who was one of the Senate’s most flamboyant personalities and prodigious fund-raisers, abruptly quit the 2002 race amid allegations of ethical misconduct and became a lobbyist. Since then, he has given $4,000 from his campaign fund to Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of Congress, $10,000 to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois and more than $40,000 to Nevada Democratic Party organizations and candidates linked to the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid.
All of those politicians had one thing in common: influence over Mr. Torricelli’s, or his clients’, business interests.
In early 2006, for instance, Mr. Torricelli contributed $10,000 from his Senate account to the mayor of Trenton and his slate of City Council candidates, just as city agencies were reviewing an ultimately successful proposal by the former senator to develop retail and office space in the city.
There is no evidence that Mr. Torricelli, who declined to be interviewed for this article, violated federal rules, which allow retired officials to give leftover campaign funds to charities, candidates and political parties.
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(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Torricelli is a greasy, corrupt politician from New Jersey. But what other kinds are there up there?
Whoodathunk??
We do have a couple of good guys, like my congressman Scott Garrett. But even the Republicans are libs for the most part. We had a good chance a few years ago with Bret Schundler (for guv) but the state Republicans did not back him.
I remember Bret Schundler and the lack of support he got from the state GOP. The NJ pubbies are pure country club.
Republicans tend to be so gosh darned comfortable being the permanent minority.
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