Campaign Picture From Christie Web Site
On August 17th, CREW asked the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to investigate whether Chris Christie, Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey, violated the law by both talking with former White House official Karl Rove about a possible gubernatorial run and attending meetings to plan logistics for the race while still a US Attorney.
In transcripts released by the House Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into the US Attorney firings scandal, Rove stated that while he was at the White House, he spoke with Christie “not regarding his duties as US Attorney, but regarding his interest in running for Governor.” These conversations directly violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in the world of partisan politics.
Ironically, Christie is running his campaign on an ethics platform. Did Christie violate ethics rules to use his position as US Attorney to gain political standing to secure his party’s nomination for Governor? An OSC investigation would reveal the extent to which Christie advanced his political ambitions while a sitting US Attorney.
Tags: 2009 New Jersey U.S. Senate Race, CREW, ethics, Karl Rove, politics