Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.) on Monday dismissed speculation that he would step down as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee because of pending Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal corruption charges against him.
“You know what? I haven’t been charged with anything, so you guys are way ahead,” he told a mob of reporters.
He also shrugged off suggestions by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and others that the corruption charges against him are political retribution for opposing the White House’s negotiations with Iran.
“That’s their speculation, not mine,” he said.
Menendez said Friday that he was not “going anywhere” despite reports that DOJ was moving to bring criminal corruption charges against him, likely concerning allegations that he used his office to advocate for an ophthalmologist friend from whom he had accepted plane trips to the Dominican Republic.
Not Only do Dead People Vote but many collect Social Security
IG Audit: 6.5 Million People With Active Social Security Numbers Are 112 or Older
March 9, 2015 – 10:39 AM
By Susan Jones
An IG audit of the Social Security Administration found that the nation’s database of active Social Security numbers includes more than six and a half million people who are older than 112 years of age.
(CNSNews.com) – Many people are living longer, but not to age 112 or beyond — except in the records of the Social Security Administration.
The SSA’s inspector general has identified 6.5 million number-holders age 112 — or older — for whom no death date has been entered in the main electronic file, called Numident.
The audit, dated March 4, 2015, concluded that SSA lacks the controls necessary to annote death information on the records of number-holders who exceed “maximum reasonable life expectancies.”
“We obtained Numident data that identified approximately 6.5 million numberholders born before June 16, 1901 who did not have a date of death on their record,” the report states.
Some of the numbers assigned to long-dead people were used fraudulently to open bank accounts.
And thousands of those numbers apparently were used by illegal immigrants to apply for work:
“During Calendar Years 2008 through 2011, SSA received 4,024 E-Verify inquiries using the SSNs of 3,873 numberholders born before June 16, 1901,” the report said. “These inquiries indicate individuals’ attempts to use the SSNs to apply for work.”
“It is incredible that the Social Security Administration in 2015 does not have the technical sophistication to ensure that people they know to be deceased are actually noted as dead,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Emails May Be a Key to Addressing ‘Pay-to-Play’ Whispers at Clinton Foundation
There are not two Clinton controversies. There is one big, hairy deal.
By Ron Fournier
March 8, 2015 “Follow the money.” That apocryphal phrase, attributed to Watergate whistle-blower “Deep Throat,” explains why the biggest threat to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential dreams is not her emails. It’s her family foundation. That’s where the money is: corporate money, foreign money, gobs of money sloshing around a vanity charity that could be renamed “Clinton Conflicts of Interest Foundation.”
What about the emails? Hillary Clinton’s secret communications cache is a bombshell deserving of full disclosure because of her assault on government transparency and electronic security. But its greatest relevancy is what the emails might reveal about any nexus between Clinton’s work at State and donations to the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation from U.S. corporations and foreign nations.
Nate Silver hits NYT: Scott Walker’s electoral record ‘pretty damned impressive’
March 8, 2015
By Olaf Ekberg
Election data analyst Nate Silver took to Twitter to dispute a New York Times article claiming Scott Walker’s three election wins during two terms in office weren’t really all that impressive.
“Walker was the second-most-conservative GOP governor running for re-election in 2014,” Harry Enten writes on Silver’s Five Thirty Eight website.
Of all the Republican governors running for re-election in 2014, Walker is the most conservative compared with the type of governor you’d expect was elected based on the 2012 presidential vote. The next closest is Paul LePage in Maine. Based on Walker’s ideology and the ideology of the incumbents running in 2014, you’d expect him to have been a governor of a state that Romney won by about 13 percentage points (Montana, for example) instead of one he lost by about 7 percentage points.
Walker may not be more electable than an average Republican, but electability isn’t the only thing that matters. As my colleague Nate Silver pointed out, Republican voters will be looking for a candidate who is both conservative and electable.
Enten’s analysis is intended to dispute a piece by Nate Cohn in the New York Times in which he claims Walker’s electoral record “isn’t as impressive as it looks.”
HACKENSACK – Democrat Roy Cho, the Korean-born attorney who ran an insurgent campaign in 2014 to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5) in New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District, announced his decision on Sunday not to run again for the congressional seat in 2016.
“I’ve decided that I’m going to take a pass on running in 2016,” Cho, 33, of Hackensack, told PolitickerNJ on Sunday, noting that he just started a new job at the New York office of the Chicago-based law firm Winston & Strawn as part of its private equity group. “This is a professional decision. After talking to my family, friends and supporters, I think it’s important for me to focus on the professional side of the ledger.”
Cho’s campaign against Garrett, a conservative Republican now in his seventh term, at one point appeared close. A combination of a well-run, grass-roots campaign, a Garrett gaffe in a campaign flyer about the congressman’s actions after Hurricane Sandy and some powerful fundraiser friends got Cho within five points of Garrett with three weeks left in the campaign.
Although Cho raised around $1.3 million for his campaign with no help from the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), money proved to be decisive in the campaign’s final weeks. According to Cho, Garrett spent $2.2 million of his campaign war chest to defeat Cho, including $1.3 million in the campaign’s last week, contributing to the eventual 55 percent to 43 percent margin of victory in favor of Garrett.
“This was the most expensive race the Fifth District has even seen, and the most money [Garrett] has ever spent against anybody,” Cho said. “What we saw in this election is the impact of money on American politics, whether it’s about local or federal races. Campaign finance is an issue that I want to keep talking about.”
Menendez, majority of US Senate on same page over Iran: Analyst
Most members of the US Senate share Democratic Senator Robert Menendez’s opinion on Iran’s nuclear energy program and sanctions, an American foreign policy analyst says.
“Senator Menendez is a very powerful member of the Senate, especially in the area of foreign affairs, and his opinion on Iran carries great weight inside the US Senate,” said James George Jatras, a former US diplomat and adviser to the Senate Republican leadership.
The Department of Justice has reportedly decided to bring criminal corruption charges against Menendez, who is involved in congressional efforts to pass anti-Iran legislation.
“As far as the pending charges against him from the Justice Department, I think… you have to presume that he is innocent until the government shows that they have proof of criminal wrongdoing,” Jatras told Press TV on Saturday.
“But I do not think that charges will really do much to change the direction of the Senate on the question of Iran, and the nuclear program and sanctions because Senator Menendez’s opinions are widely shared by other senators of both parties,” he noted.
Menendez, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been one of the detractors of President Barack Obama’s administration.
West Bergen Distinguished Service Award Brunch
Sun, March 15, 2015
Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Seasons Restaurant, 644 Pascack Road,
For almost four decades, West Bergen Mental Healthcare has been honored to present the Distinguished Service Award to outstanding community leaders.
On Sunday, March 15th, West Bergen will continue this tradition by recognizing Glen Rock residents, Deirdre and Joseph Ward, as its 2015 Honorees. As a family focused organization, West Bergen is especially pleased to be able to honor the Wards. Over the years, they have supported each other and, in turn, have supported many worthy causes – West Bergen among them. Deirdre and Joe have shown a lifelong commitment to helping others, especially children and families in need. Their partnership with West Bergen began several years ago when Deirdre became an active and dedicated West Bergen volunteer and supporter. Joe has joined Deirdre in her commitment to West Bergen. Over the years, he has attended and supported numerous West Bergen events.
West Bergen is a non-profit organization providing a wide range of psychiatric and counseling services for all age groups with various levels of need. West Bergen is committed to meeting the psychological needs of each of its clients with sensitivity and responsive, innovative services of the highest quality. For further information on West Bergen and the services it provides please call (201) 444-3550.
Vindictive? The Obama Administration is playing DIRTY! over a grudge?
March 7,2015
Greta Van Susteren
The issue in this post is not whether Senator Menendez should be indicted or not. I don’t know if he should be or not. This is about Obama Administration tactics.
But I do know this: the Department of Justice (DOJ) LEAKING on a Friday night that they are going to bring criminal charges is about as DIRTY as it gets. A leak about intentions is not an indication of a good faith investigation — it is an ugly SMEAR. It is dirty.
I am all for fair investigations (and news if there is an actual indictment) but LEAKING of a possible indictment on a Friday night like this shows bad faith. Why did the Obama Admin do it? So that it gets talked about on all the Sunday morning shows? Rotten! It sure is not playing it straight.
And why would the Obama Administration / DOJ want to SMEAR fellow Democrat, Senator Menendez? Two motivations could be: 1/ Sen Menendez opposes the Obama Administration desire to normalize relations with Cuba and 2/ he also opposes the Obama Administration suspected deal with Iran. President Obama really wants both these deals. The last thing the Obama Adminstration and the President want is for the Democratic Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations to oppose them [and his opposition began when the Democrats controlled the Senate and he was Chairman.]
INGLE: What’s gone wrong with Chris Christie?
Bob Ingle 6:31 p.m. EST March 6, 2015
TRENTON — Would the real Chris Christie please stand up? New Jerseyans who voted for a straight-shooting reformer and untypical politician are wondering if the guy they once loved was replaced by an imposter pod, like in the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” movie.
One of the hotter topics around Trenton is a proposed Christie administration pollution settlement disclosed by The New York Times. Administrations going back to Jim McGreevey’s sought $8.9 billion from ExxonMobil. The Times reported the proposed settlement is a mere fraction of that, $250 million. It actually was only $225 million. A judge already has ruled the giant oil company is liable for pollution from refineries it once owned in Linden and Bayonne.
A former state Department of Environmental Protection commissioner, Brad Campbell, wrote in The Times that Christie’s chief counsel, Christopher Porrino, allegedly intervened to get a better deal for ExxonMobil, which was a big donor to the Republican Governors Association when Christie chaired it.
Speculation under the Gold Dome is Christie sold out the people of New Jersey for the equivalent of three cents on the dollar to balance his budget.
Alleged red-wigged Glen Rock bank robber has checkered past, records show
March 5, 2015, 9:23 PM Last updated: Friday, March 6, 2015, 7:15 PM
By CHRIS HARRIS
staff writer |
The Record
GLEN ROCK — The wig-wearing woman who authorities say robbed the Glen Rock Savings Bank last month and took the proceeds to a casino has a checkered criminal past that includes jail stints in both Florida and New York, where she was convicted for robbery, burglary and theft.
Michelle Cantatore, 51, of White Plains, N.Y., was detained Thursday in Atlantic City by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation on a single bank robbery charge.
But before walking into the Glen Rock bank three weeks ago brandishing a paintball gun, arrest records indicate Cantatore spent more than three years behind bars in a Florida prison following a 1982 conviction on three counts of grand theft and one count of burglary.
Cantatore, who was born in New Mexico, also served more than a year in a New York prison when she was convicted in 1996 of third-degree robbery in Westchester, records show.
According to the FBI’s complaint against her, Cantatore fled Glen Rock with $112,900 in cash and was inside Atlantic City’s bustling Borgata casino just seven hours later.
Ridgewood NJ, In late February, 108 RHS students attended the DECA State Career Development Conference. Students completed exams, role play scenarios, and presentations, with the top three in each event moving onto the International Career Development Conference to be held in Orlando, Florida.
The RHS chapter took home a variety of awards and honors from the week’s events. RHS DECA will be sending over 30 students to the international competition. Among those honored at the Cherry Hill competition was junior Alex Formichella, who was elected as a New Jersey state officer. She is only the third RHS student to win this distinction.
SHARE, Inc. to Present Free Workshop Series Addressing Elder Law, Vision and Hearing Issues and Patient Advocacy
SHARE, Inc. to Present Free Workshop Series in March and April
Area Residents are Invited to Programs Addressing Elder Law, Vision and Hearing Issues and Patient Advocacy
The Shared Housing Association for Ridgewood and Environs (SHARE, Inc.) will continue its free workshop series addressing issues concerning seniors, their families and caregivers. These programs will be presented by local service providers and area residents are invited to attend.
The following workshops will be held in March and April at the SHARE residences indicated:
Wed., Mar. 11 at 7 p.m. – Elder Law Issues: Michael Manna, Esq., will examine issues including durable power of attorney, living wills and estate planning. 130 Prospect Street, Ridgewood, N.J.
Thurs., Mar. 19 at 7 p.m.– Sight Augmented: Bernhardt Schneider from Pear Enterprises will demonstrate equipment that assists the vision impaired. 104 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, N.J.
Thurs., Apr. 2 at 12 p.m. – New Jersey Hearing Aid Project: Audiologist Ann Marie Olson will discuss two programs that are available to low-income seniors. 104 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, N.J.
RSVP’s are welcome but not required. To register or for more information, please contact Marianne Bennett at [email protected].
SHARE, Inc. is a New Jersey non-profit that provides an affordable, home like environment for independent seniors in shared residences located at 104 Cottage Place and 130 Prospect Street in Ridgewood, N.J. For more information visit www.shareridgewood.org.
Corzine Huckster Bradley Campbell Leads Charge Against ExxonMobil Deal
“The” Bradley Campbell who as NJDEP commish issued a no-further-action letter on DOW Chemicals Superfund site in Paulsboro for Sweeney and Burzichelli’s crony Pork Paulsboro, where Campbell has a sweetheart consultant job, along with Kolluri, former NJDOT commish??? Pork Paulsboro – No oversight no money for cleanup thanks to Campbell. Perhaps he’s posturing for a position on DumpSweeney’s cabinet with this NY Times article? That Brad Campbell??
NYT ExxonMobil coverage “irresponsible, disingenuous, and baldly political”
Posted by Matt Rooney On March 05, 2015
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Chris Christie told last week’s CPAC gathering that he planned to give up The New York Times for Lent.
I suspect he’s still abstaining after today’s coverage of the ExxonMobil settlement, Save Jerseyans, including a guest op-ed from the former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Bradley Campbell. Alleging that the Governor’s chief counsel, Christopher Porrino, drove the settlement negotiations rather than the Attorney General’s office, Campbell directly accused Porrino of having “inserted himself into the case, elbowed aside the attorney general and career employees who had developed and prosecuted the litigation, and cut the deal favorable to Exxon.”
Press Secretary Kevin Roberts struck back. Hard.
“Baseless allegations concerning the State’s proposed settlement with ExxonMobil were published today in the New York Times based on comments from a known partisan, Bradley Campbell (a many-time Democratic appointee who worked for the Clinton Administration and McGreevey Administration),” Roberts noted in a statement.
Roberts (center) with Governor Christie at Bordentown Regional High School in March 2012. (Governor’s Office/Tim Larsen)
“The notion that this settlement represents something less than what is fair for New Jerseyans is absurd and baseless when you consider the facts of the settlement and Campbell’s prior comments on this case,” he added, pointing out that today’s announced $225 million damages settlement (not pre-announcement, baseless partisan-motivated speculation, a point I made yesterday on WNYC radio) is hardly unreasonably small.
Want proof? Here you go:
In May 2006, after a state judge ruled in New Jersey’s favor against ExxonMobil (remember: this expensive litigation is many, many years old), Bradley Campbell reportedly told the Star Ledger that damages “could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Why does Mr. Campbell think the price tag of the settlement stinks today?
When a 9-figure settlement was perfectly acceptable in 2006?
file photo Boyd Loving Senator Menendez at Ridgewood REORG
First on CNN: Feds prepare criminal corruption charges against Senator Bob Menendez
By Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz, CNN
Updated 2:27 PM ET, Fri March 6, 2015
Washington (CNN)The Justice Department is preparing to bring criminal corruption charges against New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, alleging he used his Senate office to push the business interests of a Democratic donor and friend in exchange for gifts.
People briefed on the case say Attorney General Eric Holder has signed off on prosecutors’ request to proceed with charges, CNN has learned exclusively. An announcement could come within weeks. Prosecutors are under pressure in part because of the statute of limitation on some of the allegations.
The case could pose a high-profile test of the Justice Department’s ability to prosecute sitting lawmakers, having already spawned a legal battle over whether key evidence the government has gathered is protected by the Constitution’s Speech and Debate clause.
