Posted on 09/13/2006 9:54:25 AM PDT by Courdeleon02
New GOP attack on Menendez Wednesday, September 13, 2006 By DEBORAH HOWLETT NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE Republican state lawmakers yesterday filed a new ethics complaint against Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, accusing him of using his seat in Congress to protect the value of a stock he owned.
Aides to Menendez called the complaint "baseless" and say it's part of a mud-slinging effort by "lackies" of his Republican challenger, state Sen. Tom Kean Jr.
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State Sen. Diane Allen, R-Burlington, and Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, R-Sussex, claim Menendez violated House ethics rules by working to prevent a $3.5 billion merger of Univision and Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. four years ago.
Menendez owned between $16,000 and $65,000 stock in the rival Spanish Broadcasting System, a Florida-based company, according to his financial disclosure statements. The 2003 merger seemed certain to substantially devalue his SBS holdings, which it ultimately did.
Menendez sold the stock this year, after it lost more than half of its value, said his campaign spokesman, Matt Miller.
But Miller said that Menendez's opposition to the merger had nothing to do with his personal finances. Throughout his career, Menendez has opposed media consolidation because it limits the diversity of voices, Miller said. He pointed out that as a result of the merger, Univision radio and TV stations now command 70 percent of the nation's Spanish-speaking audience.
"The Republican playbook this year is to run smear campaigns across the country," Miller said, "and Tom Kean Jr. has shown George Bush and the Washington Republicans that he is the boy wonder of smear campaigns."
The new complaint follows one filed two weeks ago over a rental deal between Menendez and a Hudson County nonprofit group that he helped get federal funds. That deal is now also the subject of an investigation by the U.S. attorney.
You're right. Under New Jersey law, candidates may not be replaced on the ballot with less than 51 days before the election. It's 55 days now. So the deadline expires this Sunday.
Menendez will not be replaced before Sunday, but I'll betcha he's not on the ballot in November.
The New Jersey Supreme Court is corrupt. With that as a given, there is no certainty that they'll allow the switcheroo another time under similar circumstances.
The Kean family has enormous influence, whereas Forrester had none.
That means if the RATS try their antics, they may get their way -- OR they might end up with no one on the ballot, which would be just desserts. They had best tread very carefully.
Or they could wind up with Menendez on the ballot after they have already tried to pull him because he's a crook. Wouldn't that be sweet.
--Menendez - Union City Garbage--
That's an insult to the Union City (California) garbage collectors ;-)
The Torch and McGreavy did it, no?
Do they have enough rest areas and truck stops to keep McGreevy satified?
NJ has a disadvantage. We don't have our own television market. Imagine getting NO state or local tv news at all about your government or campaigns. Northern NJ only gets New York tv stations and south Jersey gets Philly stations. That means only ppl who read get any real NJ news, and then they're getting it from a few liberal NJ rags. I really think the lack of our own TV identity hurts us tremendously and leads to us being very uninformed. When we turn on the news, we hear about 3 alarm fires in the Bronx.
Good point. We also suffer from massive voter fraud. The unions in Philly and NYC pay for buses to bring the rank and file to vote in NYC AND Newark and Philly AND Camden. The guys are paid for a full day.
I don't think so....lol....
/sarcasm
But seriously, I thought Channel 9 was based in Secaucus.
I always heard, growing up, that the mafia ran New Jersey. Any truth to that old rumor?
I wouldn't know, but from the way things are there, I wouldn't be surprised....what do you think?
For instance, the former governor went Oprah to talk about his gay victimhood and ignored his corruption. He should be in prison for all the illegal deals he pulled, including giving a homeland security director job to his former boyfriend, despite the fact that his former boyfriend had no security clearance and was a foreigner.
I'm sure Menendez has plenty of skeletons in his closet, but no New Jersey prosecutor will touch him.
Gag (hmm, maybe that's not the term to use. Perhaps barf is better)
Hehehehe 1 I'm sure jimmy boy prefers gag and (mabye slurp) though.
The Torch didn't "step down". He simply didn't run for re-election. Maybe I'll give you McGreevey - but for him it wasn't so much "stepping down" as "stepping out". ;-)
I always thought it was true but I really don't have the facts. I also heard the Catholic church owned most of NJ and I could never verify that rumor either (smile).
I have heard these same rumors and haven't been able to put any truth behind them, so I just consider them as rumors.... Have a great day....:)
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