US Atty Christopher Christie, NJ, to face ‘grilling’ over Ashcroft cronyism

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/18/christie-to-face-grilling-over-ashcroft-cronyism/

Christie to face ‘grilling’ over Ashcroft cronyism.

The House Judiciary Committee has “called for New Jersey’s U.S. attorney, Christopher Christie, to testify at a hearing next week about his appointment of former Attorney General John Ashcroft to a lucrative assignment as a corporate monitor.” The committee made the request by “e-mail and phone to the Justice Department’s Office of Legislative Affairs about two weeks ago but has not received a response.” It has also not received a response from Ashcroft to testify.

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/progressreport/2008/01/pr20080114

Chris Christie's Cronyism

In September, New Jersey's U.S. attorney, Christopher Christie, announced that the nation's largest manufacturers of hip and knee implants agreed to pay $311 million to settle allegations that they secretly paid kickbacks to surgeons. At the time, Christie touted the case as "groundbreaking" for consumers. Yet the deal also "proved to be lucrative for Christie's old boss," former attorney general John Ashcroft, whose firm received a $52 million no-bid contract to monitor one of the corporations in the settlement. This apparent favoritism is part of a pattern by Christie, who has directed similar contracts to other former Bush administration colleagues. The Justice Department has now opened up an investigation into U.S. attorneys' "procedures for selecting outside monitors to police settlements with large companies," which have gone largely unmonitored. Congressional leaders in both the House and the Senate have also suggested that they will soon be holding hearings on the subject.

POLITICAL FAVORITISM: Last fall, Christie awarded Ashcroft's firm a private, no-bid 18-month contract worth $28 to $52 million to monitor Zimmer Holdings of Indiana, one of the corporations in the settlement. According to SEC filings, the arrangement calls for Zimmer to directly "pay Ashcroft Group Consulting Services an average monthly fee between $1.5 million and $2.9 million. The figure includes a flat payment of $750,000 to the firm's 'senior leadership group,' individual legal and consulting services billed at up to $895 an hour, and as much as $250,000 a month for expenses including private airfare, lodging and meals." Zimmer has confirmed that "Christie had directed it to hire Mr. Ashcroft," who had tapped Christie to serve on his advisory panel in 2004. Christie has insisted that Ashcroft was the best pick to monitor Zimmer because he "understands organization structure and how to get things done." Yet Ashcroft's group isn't even a law firm. A spokesman for Ashcroft also confirmed that the group never lobbied for the contract, but "was pleased by the referral." While Ashcroft's deal with Christie appears to be the most lucrative, three other former Justice Department colleagues received similar contracts from Christie to monitor medical-supply companies.

[malaise]

1. This must be the most criminal administration

in history.

[babylonsister]

2. No doubt in my mind. nt

[barbtries]

8. absolutely

and they get away with it. and get away with it. so frustrating! i gotta go scream

[annabanana]

3. Why on Earth should this have been a "no-bid" thing?

How is something like that decided? Who decides?

[babylonsister]

4. It's cronyism, pure and simple. You'd think a federal official would

respect federal rules, but we've seen how disrespectful/criminal this admin is. There's only one problem; he got caught, big time.

[L. Coyote]

5. **** $895 an hour, and as much as $250,000 a month for expenses ****

Says it all.
I'll do it for 10% less, and frankly, do an honest job too! :rofl:

[L. Coyote]

6. REC 5 - KICK this up!

[immoderate]

7. BFEE business as usual.

--IMM