Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends. Here, they discuss the week’s political events with Opinion section editor Enrique Lavín.
Q: George Norcross III, possibly the most powerful unelected Democrat in the state, was accused of orchestrating a corruption scheme that diverted state-funded tax breaks intended for economic development in Camden. The Attorney General’s office alleged Norcross used his political influence to hijack New Jersey’s economic development legislation and extort other developers to obtain property rights on the Camden waterfront.
Despite these serious charges, Norcross pleaded not guilty to the 13 counts against him. Some observers were stunned this week after a Superior Court judge dismissed the charges. Others had predicted he’d beat this. Meanwhile Attorney General Matt Platkin, who is appealing the ruling, is being publicly savaged by Norcross’ defense attorneys. Many are asking him to step down. What do you make of this remarkable outcome?
Mike: I’m not stunned at all that this case was thrown out. I’m no lawyer, but I couldn’t see any crime when I read through the indictment and news accounts. No gold bars, cash stuffed in pockets, bribes, etc. It just looked like Norcross is a tough businessman with strong relationships and influence built over decades of involvement in business and the community, kind of like many successful businessmen in America.
The sprinkling in of the foul language into the indictment was just added entertainment for most. (If cursing was a crime in New Jersey, there would only be 49 states left. New Jersey would be one giant penal colony from Cape May to Sussex.)
The real concern is the fear of the weaponization of justice in the political arena, that Norcross was selectively targeted solely because he was perceived as a politically powerful opponent.
Donald Trump won after being indicted in four jurisdictions, but mostly because the first indictment came from New York and looked partisan and super political, and that cast doubt on all the rest.
Voters have a deep mistrust now of political prosecutions.
Julie: Full disclosure: My husband, Gerry Krovatin, is the attorney for one of the defendants in this case. I have also worked with but mostly against George Norcross for 30 years. Matt Platkin was my unpaid intern a decade ago before working his way up to a staff role on the Phil Murphy campaign, where he spent his time sucking up to a governor who mistakes sycophancy for competence. (In case you’re wondering how a second-year associate became the state’s attorney general.)
If Platkin is so sure of his case, why did he run to court to get a protective order shielding all the evidence from public view?
Every media outlet should petition the court to lift the protective order now, so we can all see whether Platkin really has the stuff to back up his allegations.
Every progressive who thinks this was a miscarriage of justice should call on him to produce the goods — unredacted, in full and without comment — so we can judge Norcross’ behavior for ourselves.
But the larger problem is the selective prosecution in which Platkin engages over and over. Platkin went after three no-name local politicians in Cape May County for taking unearned health benefits but has refused to even open up an investigation into his own hometown municipal chair in Montclair, Brendan Gill (who’s also Essex County Commissioner), for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in unearned benefits.
Why? Because Platkin wants to run for something someday and he needs Gill politically, while the three Cape May politicians are expendable.
Norcross is anathema to the progressives whose support he wants, so he decided to indict him too but not others. Platkin picks and chooses who he will investigate based on politics and not the law. That makes him fit to serve in Trump’s Justice Department but unfit to be the chief law enforcement officer of this state.
Q: There are a lot of what-ifs in Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed state budget, which he unveiled this week. Putting aside the real possibility the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to federal spending affects New Jersey’s budget, was Murphy able to sell it? Or is it “lipstick slathered on a pig” as state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon says? What stood out the most?
Mike: Simple political summary — Too many tax increases.
I will be shocked if Democrats up for re-election this year vote for higher taxes for home sales, gambling, sports betting, beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, vapes, activities like laser tag and bowling, hotel rooms, interior design, boat sales and more.
If it’s fun in New Jersey, let’s tax it. You like to bowl, new tax. You want a boat down the shore or on Lake Hopatcong, let’s tax it. You want a beer, let’s tax it. Bet on the game, sorry, more taxes.
Let’s just send everyone across the river to Pennsylvania to buy more stuff and have more fun. Property taxes and income taxes aren’t high enough, now we need to tax bowling.
Small businesses struggle enough. Let’s not make the trip to the bodega or the bowling alley more expensive than it already is. That keeps people away and hurts small business owners.
I doubt legislators will go for it. Legislators of a certain age will remember the last time Republicans controlled the Legislature was due to the backlash of Gov. Jim Florio taxing toilet paper, among many other things. Many of these are regressive tax increases hitting working class voters the hardest. The gravy train of federal money and borrowed billions has been cancelled, so something had to give.
Julie: I am confident that Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is smart enough and cares enough about his members not to force a vote on a budget that hangs Mike’s messaging around their necks.
Mike: Think of this column as free advice to my Democratic friends, then.
She's a Dem. He's GOP. And they're friends
A note to readers: Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we prove it every week with this “Friendly Fire” conversation.
Mike and Julie are deeply engaged in politics and commercial advocacy in New Jersey, so both have connections to many players discussed in this column. DuHaime, the founder of MAD Global Strategy, has worked for Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and George W. Bush. Roginsky, a principal of Comprehensive Communications Group and author of the Salty Politics column in Substack, has served as senior advisor to campaigns of Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg, and Phil Murphy.
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