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McGreevey Apologetic but Proud at FarewellBy DAVID KOCIENIEWSKIPublished: November 9, 2004 RENTON, Nov. 8 - In a farewell address tinged with soul-searching and regret, Gov. James E. McGreevey apologized Monday to the people of New Jersey for the sex scandal that led him to resign, but said he was proud of his administration's accomplishments and relieved that he no longer had to conceal his identity as a gay man.Mr. McGreevey, who announced his resignation on Aug. 12 and will step down next Monday at midnight, said he was gratified that he had been able to overhaul the state's troubled child...

N.J. Voters in a PicklePublished: August 18, 2004 ov. James McGreevey's exit strategy has put New Jersey voters, and democracy itself, in a terrible bind. Under the timetable announced last week during his bombshell news conference, Mr. McGreevey will resign his office on Nov. 15 and hand the reins of government to Richard Codey, the president of the State Senate. Executive power will thus reside for three months with a lame-duck governor crippled by scandal and then, for the next 14 months, with an interim governor who has no mandate from the voters. The alternative is for the Republicans and...

THE POLITICSMcGreevey Hunkers Down, but Exit Pressure GrowsBy LAURA MANSNERUSPublished: August 17, 2004 RENTON, Aug. 16 - Pressure for Gov. James E. McGreevey's immediate resignation grew on Monday as Democratic leaders and representatives of labor, environmental and other groups prepared to talk to Senator Jon S. Corzine this week to discuss his possible candidacy in a special election this fall. While others maneuvered to push him out of the State House in time for a November contest, Mr. McGreevey spent most of his day behind closed doors here, and aides and friends said he had no intention of moving soon....

Inquiry Said to Be Focusing On Plan for Touro CollegeBy DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI and JOSEPH BERGERPublished: August 17, 2004 RENTON, Aug. 16 - The federal investigation into Gov. James E. McGreevey's accusation that a former aide tried to extort him by threatening to reveal their extramarital affair is now focusing on a strange, last-minute offer to keep the matter secret if the governor agreed to approve a plan for a new medical school in New Jersey, according to three people involved in the inquiry.Just 10 minutes before Mr. McGreevey was scheduled to announce his resignation last Thursday, a member of his...

The Governor's SecretPublished: August 13, 2004 ooner or later, it was bound to happen: a major elected official's calling a press conference to tell constituents that he or she is gay. Yesterday, New Jersey's governor, James McGreevey, described his coming to grips with his sexual orientation with uncommon grace and dignity, offering an extraordinary glimpse into the private torment that can accompany a public life lived in the closet. "My truth is that I am a gay American,'' he said. If that had been the beginning and the end of the story, we would be celebrating Mr. McGreevey's candor, not...

August 4, 2004 -- New Jersey real-estate mogul Charles Kushner wants to cop a plea on charges he hired a high-priced call girl to have a motel tryst with a witness against him, and videotaped the steamy session, a court document reveals. Kushner, a top fund-raiser for New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, waived his right to a speedy trial because of ongoing talks between federal prosecutors and the defense team, the document says. "Plea negotiations are currently in progress and both the U.S. and defendant desire additional time to enter the plea in court, which would thereby render trial of...

July 14, 2004 Lurid Charges Hit Top Donor to New Jersey GovernorBy RONALD SMOTHERS EWARK, July 13 - Gov. James E. McGreevey's top contributor was charged on Tuesday in a bizarre scheme to enlist prostitutes in an effort to silence potential witnesses in a federal investigation of possible illegal campaign contributions.In a criminal complaint that reads like a plot line from an Elmore Leonard novel, Charles Kushner, a New Jersey landowner and businessman with close ties to many religious and political figures, was charged with hiring prostitutes to entice his brother-in-law and his accountant into sexually compromising situations.The complaint says...