Adler Flip-Flops On Corzine Investigation

GOP Calls On Him To Join Call for Independent Prosecutor and Conduct Senate Inquiry If Administration Stonewalling Persists

TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Republican State Committee Chairman Tom Wilson sent the attached letter to Senator John Adler today.

December 12, 2007

Senator John H. Adler
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
1916 Route 70 East, Suite 3
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003


Dear Senator Adler:

During Wednesday’s hearing on the nomination of Matthew Boxer to become New Jersey’s first Comptroller, you said you planned to call on Attorney General Anne Milgram to investigate the actions of Governor Jon Corzine and his staff as it relates to the employment of and a $15,000 personal payment to Rocco Riccio, the brother-in-law of CWA President Carla Katz. Later in the day, you issued a letter to Attorney General Milgram which appears to substantially backtrack from the statement you made during the Committee hearing. Your letter requested only that the Attorney General investigate Mr. Riccio’s conduct while a state employee.

On it’s face, it would appear that you buckled to political pressure applied by the Governor or his allies by not specifically requesting that the Attorney General review not only Mr. Riccio’s conduct, but that of Governor Corzine and his staff in what you have characterized as an “enormously troubling” string of events. If this is not accurate, I am sure you can explain what triggered your change of heart.

While I agree with your belief that the facts as we know them are “enormously troubling,” I hope you would agree that the public’s interests are best served by an investigation that is beyond question. This can only be achieved if the investigation looks into not only what Mr. Riccio was doing, but also at whose direction he was acting, and what drove the Governor and his staff to attempt to protect Mr. Riccio, to secure other government positions for him, and to even go so far as to supply him with direct financial support through such inexplicable means as money orders. Given the high level personnel and officials involved in this conspiracy, the only way to ensure the public that the investigation is both thorough and without conflict is to appoint an Independent Prosecutor as was done in the case involving former Attorney General Zulima Farber.

This matter was first brought to the attention of the public more than 90 days ago and the fact that no one, including you, has acted to this point is disappointing. It is equally as troubling that you would allow the committee to act on Mr. Boxer’s nomination while at the same time calling the actions of Governor Corzine’s administration, and therefore possibly Mr. Boxer, “enormously troubling.”

Your call for an investigation, while welcome, might have had more significance had you joined Minority Leader DeCroce, Senator Cardinale and me in calling for the appointment of an Independent Prosecutor back in September when this matter was first reported. It certainly would have had more significance if you refused to consider Mr. Boxer’s nomination until such time as an investigation was completed and the findings made public. Regardless, I appreciate your new found interest in seeing this matter fully investigated. You can demonstrate your sincerity today by using your authority as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee to make certain that the facts are presented fully and openly to the public.

Given the Attorney General’s relationship to the Governor, the only way to assure the public that this investigation is conducted free from any potential or perceived conflict of interest is by naming an Independent Prosecutor. The Governor himself recognized the need for public confidence when he named an Independent Prosecutor to review the conduct of former Attorney General Zulima Farber. I hope that you will demand that the Governor and Attorney General Milgram to take this additional step so that you, the members of the committee, and the public can be certain that justice is being applied evenly and without regard to the particular power or influence of the individuals being investigated.

As I am sure you are aware, last week Carney’s Point Mayor John Lake was prosecuted by the state and convicted of Official Misconduct. Mayor Lake used his office to offer a public position to another individual to secure for himself a political benefit. As reported, the conduct of Governor Corzine and his senior staff appears to mirror that of Mayor Lake.

Specifically, a news account published in the Star-Ledger stated that the Governor’s former Chief of Staff, Tom Shea, admitted that Mr. Riccio had become a political liability for the Governor. The administration asked Mr. Riccio to take certain actions and offered to help him in order to curtail further political problems for the Governor. In fact, after asking him to leave his position at the Department of Human Services, Mr. Riccio was then “recommended” by the Governor for a position at the Turnpike Authority. When that failed to stem the potential political damage being delivered upon Governor Corzine, Mr. Riccio was “asked” to leave that position and subsequently given $15,000 in payments, including five $1,000 money orders, from the Governor. It is clear from the Lake conviction, that it is a criminal offense for a public official to use the powers of his office to gain a political benefit for himself. If it was wrong for Mayor Lake, then it must also be wrong for Governor Corzine.

I ask you to join Minority Leader DeCroce, Senator Gerald Cardinale and me in demanding the appointment of an Independent Prosecutor. As you have acknowledged, given the important role you play as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, it would be difficult for the Attorney General to ignore your demand. Should the administration do so, however, you must use your authority as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to seek subpoena power from your Senate colleagues and conduct a public inquiry on this matter. Just as your predecessor, Senator Gormley, used the committee to investigate wrongdoing on the part of the State Police and get to the bottom of racial profiling, so should you use the committee to restore public confidence that this administration has acted in a lawful manner as it relates to their conduct in handling the Rocco Riccio matter.

Your congressional campaign website opens with a statement from you discussing your commitment to the “basic American value of truth.” You have the opportunity to demonstrate that those words are not merely the empty rhetoric of a candidate seeking to remake his image, but of a public servant willing to stand up to powerful forces who would use government to further their own political interests. The voters eagerly await your leadership on this important matter.

Sincerely,


Tom Wilson