Free Republic

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 ...

<p>Former Essex County Executive James Treffinger pleaded guilty yesterday to federal corruption charges, ending 13 months that transformed him from a leading U.S. Senate candidate into another New Jersey politician convicted of graft.</p> <p>Treffinger, 53, admitted obstructing an FBI probe into his dealings with United Gunite Corp., a sewer-repair firm that won hundreds of thousands of dollars in no-bid county contracts. The once rising Republican star said he coached aides to lie to federal investigators and create phony documents to conceal $10,000 worth of campaign contributions from the company.</p>

Treffinger Enters 2002 Race for Torricelli's Senate Seat By THE NEW YORK TIMES EWARK, Nov. 20 — The race for the United States Senate seat occupied by Robert G. Torricelli got its first official candidate this morning when the Essex County executive, James W. Treffinger, announced in unusually low-key fashion that he was seeking the Republican nomination. Republicans are particularly eager to capture the seat in November 2002, after an election two weeks ago in which the fragmented party lost the governor's office and majorities in both houses of the Legislature. Mr. Torricelli, a Democrat elected to his first ...

NEWARK, N.J. Oct. 28 — Essex County's top elected official, who dropped out of the U.S. Senate race this year amid a federal investigation, was arrested by FBI agents Monday on corruption charges. The charges against County Executive James Treffinger include extortion, mail fraud, conspiracy and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Perry A. Carbone. Extortion carries the heaviest penalty, up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Treffinger will plead not guilty, said his lawyer, Henry Klingeman. Full story see source

FBI agents Thursday raided offices of Essex County Executive James Treffinger but would not say what they were looking for. Treffinger, a self-described conservative Republican, is one of five candidates seeking the GOP U.S. Senate nomination in New Jersey. There was no immediate comment from Treffinger's office. An answering machine message said no one was available to talk. Sandra Carroll, a spokeswoman for the FBI, confirmed that a raid took place. "I can't give you any details," Carroll told United Press International. "The only thing I am able to do is confirm that there was a search at that location."...

Forrester Files FEC Report, Shows Strong Cash-on-Hand Position Republican Senate candidate has more than $2 million in the bank (HAMILTON, APRIL 15) - Forrester for Senate campaign manager Bill Pascoe today released the Forrester campaign's first quarter FEC report and issued the following statement: "Today we filed our first quarter report with the Federal Election Commission, covering the three months between January 1 and March 31, 2002. The report shows that the campaign has banked $3,135,000 and spent $940,000, which leaves us with $2,197,000 cash on hand. And yes, there's more where that came from. "The Republican nominee has to...

It strikes me as odd that there isn't a continuing string of discussion re: the GOP nomination contest to choose the Party's standard-bearer for the fall campaign against Bob Torricelli. So, as a service to NJ Freepers -- and those who pay attention to NJ politics -- I offer the following analysis of the state of play in the nomination contest as it currently stands, and would love to read comments: 1) Essex County Executive Jim Treffinger is the current front-runner (just ask him), by virtue of the fact that he's already run once before for the U.S. Senate AND...