Corporate Lawyer in New Jersey Is Chosen as Federal Prosecutor
By LAURA MANSNERUS
EWARK, Dec. 7 — President Bush said today that he would nominate Christopher J. Christie, a lawyer who served as counsel to the president's 2000 campaign in New Jersey, as the next United States attorney for the state.
Mr. Christie's nomination, expected for months, had drawn criticism from some lawyers because he lacks experience in criminal law. In addition, Mr. Christie would be the first United States attorney chosen for New Jersey who has not worked in the office.
But Mr. Christie enjoyed widespread support from New Jersey Republicans, and the state's two Democratic Senators, Robert G. Torricelli and Jon S. Corzine, approved the nomination as well.
"It is important to honor President Bush's choice for this position," the two senators said in a joint statement. "We are confident that Chris Christie will put together an experienced team."
Mr. Christie said tonight that "at the end of the day, especially in these times, I don't think the president would pick anybody for a law enforcement job like this except on the merits."
The office has about 130 lawyers, most in the Newark headquarters, and handles all federal prosecutions in the state. The current United States attorney, Robert J. Cleary, was appointed by President Clinton after serving as first assistant to Faith Hochberg, who left the office to become a federal district judge.
Mr. Christie, 39, in private practice, handles securities work and appellate litigation and is a registered lobbyist representing about a dozen corporate clients. He is a member of Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci, a 20-lawyer firm in Cranford, N.J.
He has been active in Republican politics for years and served as a freeholder in Morris County. He and his wife, Mary Pat, have given about $50,000 to Republican campaigns, including Mr. Bush's, since 1999.
He was among Mr. Bush's earliest supporters in the 2000 campaign and was named campaign counsel for New Jersey. With his law partner William J. Palatucci, Mr. Christie raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mr. Bush.
Earlier this year, as Mr. Bush began replacing the nation's 94 United States attorneys, Mr. Christie's name began rising in New Jersey. Republican officeholders received hundreds of letters of support.
The Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey, in an unusual move reflecting dissatisfaction among former prosecutors and other lawyers practicing in the federal courts, adopted a resolution in September deploring political influence in the selection of federal prosecutors and calling on Mr. Bush to make a choice strictly on merit. The resolution did not mention Mr. Christie by name, however.
Mr. Christie said tonight that "during the last three months I have spent a lot of time reaching out to members of the federal bar," including judges and former prosecutors, "to give myself some real depth and perspective."