Posted on 02/21/2008 8:23:40 PM PST by Eric Blair 2084
A congressional committee that has questioned U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie's appointment of former Attorney General John Ashcroft to a multimillion-dollar contract yesterday postponed a hearing on the issue after it was unable to get assurances that either Christie or Ashcroft would testify.
...
Christie, the top federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey, has said he would testify if directed by the Justice Department.
The subcommittee on commercial and administrative law had called the hearing to explore what members had said was a troubling trend: an increase in out-of-court settlements between federal prosecutors and corporations under investigation.
The settlements, called deferred prosecutions, often are negotiated in private and end with the government appointing private lawyers as monitors to make sure the compa nies follow the law and terms of their agreements.
...
Ashcroft's contract calls for one of the companies, Indiana-based Zim mer Holdings, to pay him between $27 million and $52 million for 18 months of work.
None of the other companies or monitors has disclosed their fees.
Plans for the hearing -- and its delay -- underscored a larger issue of how responsive Ashcroft and the Justice Department choose to be with a committee inquiry that some have complained is rooted in partisan politics.
Christie, a onetime Republican fundraiser, is considered a leading contender for the GOP nomination if he runs for New Jersey governor next year. Ashcroft, a prominent conservative, was attorney general in President Bush's first term.
The scrutiny of Ashcroft's contract has been spearheaded by the Democrats who control the committee and by two Democratic congressmen from New Jersey, Reps. Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Since it’s Zimmer Holdings who is paying Ashcroft and not the gubmint, what does Congress care?
You’re missing the point. Christie has been one of the few Bush US Attorneys that has had the stones to actually actively indict corrupt Dims. By the last count he had indicted over 300 crooked NJ pols, but I repeat myself. He should be a lock on the gov’s office. The NJ dims are after him to try to preempt his run and they are probably in his cross hairs as well.
300? Really?
I watch this pretty closely just out of morbid curiosity here in the DPRNJ. You got Sharpe James, Bryant and the 11 fools who accepted bribes of $1.98 and are now facing jail time. Who am I missing?
Not saying you are wrong. I wish it were 300.
To answer your question, the left wing Dems on the committee in Gubmint cares because they are both conservatives and Ashcroft’s contract will pay him a stupid amount of money over 18 months.
The question is what is he doing for Zimmer to deserve $25 mill?
free me says it’s 125. Now some of em are going after him.
This is why I’m convinced that the best place to be is not in public office or any public place.
Just stay home and type crap on a computer. As long as you don’t threaten or slander anyone you are safe.
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