Blagojevich Prosecutor Hired by Assembly for Bridge Probe
Source: Bloomberg
Blagojevich Prosecutor Hired by Assembly for Bridge Probe
By Elise Young, Terrence Dopp and Andrew Harris Jan 15, 2014 2:44 PM CT
New Jersey lawmakers investigating political tricks that emanated from Governor Chris Christie’s office hired as special counsel the lead prosecutor in the corruption trials of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Reid Schar, a former assistant U.S. attorney, will aid the New Jersey Assembly’s investigation of the decision to close George Washington Bridge access lanes in September. While working under former Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Schar was part of a team of prosecutors pursuing Blagojevich, adviser-fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko and others accused of trying to profit from their political connections.
Democrats who control the New Jersey legislature are investigating the four-day traffic jam that paralyzed Fort Lee, a town of 35,700 at the end of the bridge to Manhattan whose Democratic mayor, Mark Sokolich, refused to endorse Christie in the November election. The intention was to punish the mayor, according to e-mails and text messages obtained by news organizations, including Bloomberg.
Lawmakers are seeking documents and holding hearings to discern whether Christie or other members of his administration had knowledge of the lane closures and whether they tried to cover it up. The governor maintains that he was “blindsided” by the revelations.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-15/blagojevich-prosecutor-hired-by-assembly-for-bridge-probe.html
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Warm up the the popcorn machine, folks.