NJ Governor McGreevey resigns

[Patti]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5686618/

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey announced his resignation Thursday afternoon, saying he had had an extramarital affair with another man that could leave the state government vulnerable to undue outside influences.

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“My truth is that I am a gay American,” McGreevey, a former prosecutor who has seen several political aides and fund-raisers accused of corruption, said at a televised news conference.

“Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony,” said McGreevey, the married father of two. “It was wrong. It was foolish. It was inexecusable.”

McGreevey said the disclosure and a pending legal action, which he did not specify, could pose a “threat” to the government. “I am removing these threats by telling you about my sexuality,” he said.

The resignation is effective Nov. 15, McGreevey said. State Senate President Richard Codey will serve the rest of his term, which ends at the end of next year.

WABC-TV of New York reported that McGreevey was expecting a lawsuit by a former aide Monday accusing him of sexual harassment. The station identified the former aide as Golan Cipel, who resigned as McGreevey’s security adviser in 2002 after months of questioning about his credentials and job qualifications.

Cipel, 33, was criticized because he did not have a security clearance or law enforcement background. He had worked in television news and public relations.

A former Israeli sailor and a published poet, Cipel worked as a spokesman for the Israeli Consulate in New York. During McGreevey’s gubernatorial campaign, Cipel was McGreevey’s liaison to the Jewish community and served as an informal adviser on security matters.

Veteran New Jersey politician
McGreevey, the state’s 51st governor, took office 2½ years ago, and, despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans, instead raising taxes on millionaires, casinos and cigarettes.

McGreevey, a Democrat, rose from suburban mayor to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, maintaining a power base even after he narrowly lost to Republican Christine Todd Whitman in 1997.

McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.

McGreevey, who was born in Jersey City, graduated from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University a year later.

After briefly serving as a county prosecutor, McGreevey became a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company and then a state government official. While in the Legislature, he voted for Gov. Jim Florio’s $2.8 billion tax hike, which prompted a voter rebellion against Democrats.

By MSNBC.com’s Alex Johnson. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[gldstwmn]

I listened to the speech. He was extremely brave and it was very moving.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Well...I guess they'll have to reshoot all those commercials inviting people to visit NJ.

It's sad for his family but he's done nothing for this state but cause problems and piss away our money on bull**** since he's been elected so I'm not too dissapointed that he'll be stepping down; however i'd rather it were for his bad decisions rather than the fact he's gay which most of us could care less about.

Just an FYI...the man he had the affair with was hired as a security advisor with no credentials at $110,000 per year and McGreevey took a lot of slack for that as well.

NJ politics will once again get interesting...

[amber]

Geez, what a bummer - the fact that he got married and all. I wonder how many other politicians are wearing beards? Good he admitted it. That's like my worst nightmare, marrying someone who is gay...not that that would happen, but i'm just upset that people can't just be who they are and still do whatever they want - and of course, exposing spouses to things they shouldn't have to be exposed to because of sneaking around with your other life - bleah.
AMber

[dissention]

This smells funny. It wasn't just harassment from what I've heard...the term "rape" was being thrown around. I heard that he resigned because the man he supposedly raped was blackmailing him, so he decided to curb it all and admit to a gay affair. Who knows what the truth is!

[dissention]

Originally Posted by GardenStateGirlie

Just an FYI...the man he had the affair with was hired as a security advisor with no credentials at $110,000 per year and McGreevey took a lot of slack for that as well.

That's how I heard about the blackmailing. He supposedly blackmailed McGreevey into giving him the job.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by dissention

That's how I heard about the blackmailing. He supposedly blackmailed McGreevey into giving him the job.

I was listening to our states talk radio NJ 101.5 on the way home from work. The DJ's generally pull pranks and joke around so people weren't sure how serious they were. Of course they had to add some humor to the situation by saying, "and now we're going to listen to a snippet from the Governors speech..." following it up with Big Gay Al's song from South Park I couldn't help but to laugh.

I'm sorry it had to be on these terms but a lot of people will be glad he's gone. Fact: NJ had the highest tax hike of any state in the country last year. And yes, something about this situation is slightly foul. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

[ryan8472]

Originally Posted by GardenStateGirlie

Well...I guess they'll have to reshoot all those commercials inviting people to visit NJ.

Haha, I've seen that one comercial about the horror stories of the New Jersey DMV . It's so silly.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by ryan8472

Haha, I've seen that one comercial about the horror stories of the New Jersey DMV . It's so silly.

So glad they're playing our NJ DMV commerical in other states...because, you know, that's important for other people to know and it's important for us to know that even though you're still going to wait for a decade in various lines with a ton of people that don't speak English, things have changed! New Jersey...you never cease to amaze me

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by dissention

This smells funny. It wasn't just harassment from what I've heard...the term "rape" was being thrown around. I heard that he resigned because the man he supposedly raped was blackmailing him, so he decided to curb it all and admit to a gay affair. Who knows what the truth is!

Oh, it definitely smells. This should be very interesting.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by GardenStateGirlie

Well...
It's sad for his family but he's done nothing for this state but cause problems and piss away our money on bull**** since he's been elected so I'm not too dissapointed that he'll be stepping down; .

I heard that he was left with an illegal (under the state constitution) $5,000,000,000 debt from the Christie Todd Whitman administration that he had to resolve and that he also didn't raise taxes on the middle class but was trying to make up the deficit byt taxing gambling, cigarettes and the wealthiest 2% of residents in the state.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

I heard that he was left with an illegal (under the state constitution) $5,000,000,000 debt from the Christie Todd Whitman administration that he had to resolve and that he also didn't raise taxes on the middle class but was trying to make up the deficit byt taxing gambling, cigarettes and the wealthiest 2% of residents in the state.

That's what I heard, too. For some reason, I don't buy that a governor would just suddenly decide to out himself and resign from his post because of conflicting interests. It smells worse than Bush's sales tax proposal.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

I heard that he was left with an illegal (under the state constitution) $5,000,000,000 debt from the Christie Todd Whitman administration that he had to resolve and that he also didn't raise taxes on the middle class but was trying to make up the deficit byt taxing gambling, cigarettes and the wealthiest 2% of residents in the state.

Trust me when I say taxes weren't just raised for the wealthy. He is equally as horrendous a Governor as ****man was in her second term. There have been many a shady dealing while he was in office and he surrounded himself with a lot of idiots. They both did a lot of damage to this state that will, no doubt, have long term effects.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by dissention

That's what I heard, too. For some reason, I don't buy that a governor would just suddenly decide to out himself and resign from his post because of conflicting interests. It smells worse than Bush's sales tax proposal.

Oh yeah. We'll be hearing about this for a while.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Just a footnote in the myriad of bull**** situations McSleezy has gotten himself into. Yea, he's REAL concerned about our debt.



Article from The Trentonian 12/10/2002

Now at least one of Gov. Jim McGreevey’s own family members, back in the old sod, is upset about the way the governor tried to stick taxpayers with the bill for his jaunt to Ireland last summer.

The woman, a cousin to the governor, said the whole affair made it appear is if she and her clan-members had "stolen something."

She said McGreevey’s behavior made the Old-World McGreeveys (spelled McGreevy) look like grabby freeloaders.

She insisted they are not.

At a family reunion in July, the governor had told family members at the pub outside Belfast, Northern Ireland, to eat, drink and be merry -- he was picking up the tab.

Actually McGreevey tried to get taxpayers to foot the bill.

But he got caught.

Now the state Democratic Committee will pay the tab, rescuing the governor at a cost of some $70,000.

Last night, a cozy fire warmed the Bronte Steak House in Loughbrickland, Northern Ireland.

The pub has been known for hearty meals and the widely read, 19th-Century sister-authors, the Brontes.

Add to that fame the $3,178 McGreevey-family soiree.

Last night was a busy one at the pub -- for a Monday in the countryside outside Banbridge.

Patrons kept the cook busy preparing the storied house specialty, a sauce made with fine Irish whiskey.

The Trentonian can disclose that McGreevey did NOT get looped at the family affair.

But that aside, the new wrinkle to the reunion story really has little to do with the way McGreevey "bagpiped" his claimed $20,000 "trade mission" into $105,000 worth of good times.

"Yes," we are quite aware of this story," said Gary McDonald, business editor of the Irish Times, a Belfast newspaper, published about half-an-hour’s drive from Banbridge.

It turns out that The Times and other dailies heard about the Jersey stink over McGreevey’s expenses.

So they sought out the governor’s cousins and other family members.

Here is what one paper reported about the meal and McGreevey’s laying it off on his taxpayer-fueled expense account.

Cousin Pauline McGreevy: "It was as if we had stolen something.

"...We’re quite ordinary folk. This was a big, big deal for us, and it seems like it was tarnished in some way."

The McGreevy clan-members were reported to have tried to pay their fair share.

But the governor assuaged their concerns, insisting through staffers that he would handle the bill.

"It’s taken care of," the revelers were told.

Said McDonald, a years-long resident of the area and a patron of the Bronte:

"One would really have to be a bit aggressive on the menu to run up a bill that size. It’s not an expensive place. But it has a very good reputation. Very good, country Irish cooking."

The Trentonian learned that an average supper at the Bronte costs about $25 to $35.

In a display of bad timing, all the sour news about the McGreevey trip broke right as the matron of the clan, Cissie McGivern, turned 90.

And that is a huge affair in village life of Northern Ireland.

What made matters worse was McGreevey’s much-balleyhooed glad-handing at Drumthwacket, the state mansion in Princeton, with Gerry Adams.

Adams, a darling of most Irish Americans, is president of Sinn Fein, which is the political wing of the pro-Catholic, anti-British Irish Republican Army, or IRA.

The old-sod McGreevys are Catholics, yes, but they reside largely in an area that is of mixed faiths.

Tolerance and moderation are the watchwords there. The area has been largely untouched by the years of religious killing.

There is in the town today a slightly unionist, or Protestant, pro-British, majority.

There are no Sinn Fein politicians, for instance, on the Banbridge Town Council.

So Adams is not seen in the community as a champion of their cause.

As one paper quoted Cousin Pauline as saying:

"I have lost very close friends as a result of shooting and bombing instigated by the IRA.

"If I had been beside Jim, I would have told him, ‘I don’t think this (the highly publicized embrace of Adams) is such a good idea.’"

The IRA has waged a guerrilla war against British rule of Northern Ireland, which London considers a British province.

Protestants backed by the British Army hold onto economic and political privilege in the province, dominating Catholics.

The United States has tried to broker a political agreement, but the IRA has balked at surrendering all of its weapons.

Plus, the post-Sept. 11 U.S. foreign policy against global terror has eased pressure on the British government to reduce its troop presence on Belfast streets.

The governor -- who is so pro-IRA he openly ridicules former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher -- had no comment on the family-reunion reports.

Pauline added that she viewed the matter essentially as a family tiff.

"We are very, very proud of Jim," she was quoted as saying.

The Bronte sisters penned widely read tomes such as "Wuthering Heights," "Jane Eyre," "Agnes Grey" and "Wildfell Hall."

The pub takes its name from their father, the Rev. Patrick Bronte, a stern evangelical who had preached in the area.