Independez

Mar 22, 2024

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Sen. Menendez is not running for reelection. As a Democrat, that is.

“I will not file for the Democratic primary this June,” Menendez said in a video released late Thursday afternoon. “I am hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election.”

Could Menendez be found not guilty? As strong as the charges against him appear, that’s a real possibility given how hard it has become to secure a corruption conviction.

Menendez asked voters to “withhold judgment until justice takes place.” OK. But legal exoneration doesn’t necessarily mean ethical exoneration. And the allegations against Menendez, unless completely fabricated, are ethically troubling. Were the men Menendez advocated for with state and federal officials giving him and his wife expensive gifts, even if he has explanations for the gold bars and wads of cash? I haven’t heard a denial of that yet. And even if the feds don’t prove a quid pro quo, is it the kind of thing you want a senator doing?

I sat through almost every day of Menendez’s last corruption trial. The case against the senator was weaker than this one. And at the end of the trial, most of the jury didn’t think the feds met the bar for corruption. Still, it was never in dispute that the senator did favor after favor for co-defendant Sal Melgem: Talking to the HHS secretary about Medicare, getting visas for foreign girlfriends, putting pressure on Dominican authorities regarding a security contract Melgen had a financial interest in. All the while, Melgen was giving Menendez huge campaign contributions, private jet flights and stays at his lavish Dominican villa. Was that all OK? The Senate Select Committee on Ethics didn't think so.

So even after Menendez is found not guilty or has another mistrial, after these new allegations are in the headlines every day, it’s extraordinarily unlikely he’ll have a political rebirth. Especially running as an independent, which is challenging enough for someone without so much baggage. Whether he can be a spoiler for Democrats is the real question.

TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I can afford it — but a lot of my friends who drive in every day, who left here because they couldn’t afford to live here anymore, can’t.” — Whoopi Goldberg to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul regarding congestion pricing in Manhattan, where a designated parking space averages about $600 a month, not including the hundreds of dollars in tolls Goldberg’s cash-strapped friends are already paying.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Charles Burton, John Mooney, Dominick Pandolfo, Awilda Pomales-Diaz, Rob Tornoe, Shannon Warner. Saturday for Lew Candura, Lisa Morina, Kathleen O’Brien. Sunday for Ivy Rovner, Steve Clayton, Ryan Doran.

WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Paramus for a hospital ribbon cutting ceremony.

A message from Alibaba:

American businesses sold $66B worth of products in 2022 on Alibaba’s online marketplace. New Jersey-based companies such as Phyto-C partner with Alibaba to reach one billion consumers globally. The impact: U.S. sales on Alibaba supported over 10 thousand local jobs and contributed $1.3B to New Jersey's GDP in one year. Explore Alibaba’s local impact.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

‘THE BALLOT TRANSPARENCY ACT’ — “Now, the NJ Legislature may tackle the line? That's a hollow pledge,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “Lawmakers issued a rare, bipartisan communiqué late Tuesday acknowledging — albeit grudgingly — that they are now 'committed to a public process' that will study the redesign of New Jersey's primary ballot. In other words, they may be willing to ditch the county line, an undemocratic, Tammany Hall ballot format that is used in 19 of 21 counties and has been wielded by county leaders and bosses for decades. Now that the line faces a threat in federal court and a furious backlash on the U.S. Senate campaign trail, the four leaders from the two parties felt it was time to calm everyone’s nerves. They are on the case. Everyone can now take a breather … In truth, this really isn’t a commitment to reform. This is lawmakers hitting the panic button. This is a late-in-the-game plea from the cheap seats, an attempt to sidetrack the federal case that could strike a death blow to the county line, or what the late Middlesex County Assemblyman David Schwartz called ‘the benediction of the backroom.’ And in a wider sense, the implications of the lawsuit … threaten the whole sclerotic political infrastructure that makes New Jersey a national outlier and embarrassment.”

I’LL QUIT WEED — Bramnick: If Trump wins New Jersey, I’ll drop out of gov’s race, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: GOP state Sen. Jon Bramnick said Wednesday evening that he'll end his campaign for governor if Donald Trump wins New Jersey in the presidential race this year. Bramnick, who is so far the only declared Republican gubernatorial candidate, prefaced his remarks with the political reality that Trump is unlikely to win New Jersey because of the state’s strong Democratic tilt. Trump lost the state twice — earning about 41 percent of the vote in 2016 and 2020. But Bramnick's remarks — seemingly made in jest — underscore the anti-Trump lane he’s looking to occupy in the Republican primary for the 2025 race. “If Donald Trump wins New Jersey, I will then withdraw as a candidate for governor — that's a promise,” Bramnick said at an event hosted by the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship. “If Donald Trump wins New Jersey, I will absolutely withdraw. Because if that's what New Jersey wants, I ain’t your guy.”

HAYDERS GONNA HAYD — “Proposed NJ bill examines county commissioners and habitually absent members,” by The New Jersey Herald’s Bruce A. Scruton: “Building on NJ laws that apply to school boards, a bill is being introduced in the state Assembly that would give county commissioners a way to declare a vacancy on their own board in cases where a member is habitually absent. Full text of the proposed bill - A4102 - is being written, said Assemblyman Michael Inganamort … The bill is a response to an issue at the Sussex County Board of Commissioners in which one of the five members has not attended several meetings. The commissioners schedule of regular meetings is the second and fourth Wednesday of each month and Commissioner Bill Hayden has missed three of the past four meetings .. Around the holidays, Hayden was called out in public for accusations he falsely claimed to be a decorated veteran. In some of the alleged stories he was accused of telling, his claim was that he was a Navy SEAL and was wounded during a ‘secret mission,’ which is why nobody could get to his records."

—“When N.J.’s electric vehicle & fiscal policies conflict, consumers suffer | Opinion”

—“Sen. Bucco criticizes NJ mental health law allowing longer involuntary stays in ERs”

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BIDEN TIME

SHORT CIRCUIT — “With N.J. Circuit Court nominee in trouble, Biden may have to switch tactics – and soon,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox and David Wildstein: “Democrats in the U.S. Senate don’t appear to have the votes to confirm New Jersey’s Adeel Mangi to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, presenting President Joe Biden with a difficult political – and moral – dilemma: does he stick with his nominee out of principle in repudiation of the Islamophobic campaign against him, or does he switch nominees to avoid losing a pivotal Circuit Court seat? Biden and Senate Democrats are left with an extraordinarily narrow window to either confirm Mangi or change course and nominate and confirm a new candidate before the Senate breaks in late summer and the focus shifts to election season.”

—Campos Medina: “Locked out: gatekeepers acted more like bouncers at a club than Dem party officials”

—“Gottheimer ready for ‘MAGA Mary’”

—“Justice Department taps Platkin to play key role in Apple antitrust lawsuit”

A message from Alibaba:

LOCAL

MILLIONAIREBURN — “A wealthy NJ town is resisting affordable housing plans. Its defiance could be costly,” by WNYC’s Mike Hayes: “Municipal leaders in one of New Jersey’s richest towns are personally risking severe sanctions for pulling out of a plan to build dozens of affordable-housing rental units — just as the state tries to ramp up development. Millburn Township officials have defied multiple court orders to move forward with development of a 75-unit, 100% affordable housing complex in the heart of their upscale downtown — and last month, the Millburn Township Committee unanimously voted to pull out of the project completely. Advocates involved in the case want the judge to not only strip Millburn officials of their power to control development, but also fine officials personally … Some units would be set aside for people making less than 30% of the area’s median income — potentially under $25,000 — as well as individuals and families earning up to 80%, or around $90,000. That’s in a township where the average home price is well over $1 million, and where the median family income is more than $250,000, according to the census.”

WHEN YOU AWARD CONTRACTS THE WAY YOU AWARD THE LINE — “Hudson County broke law when seeking prison health service contracts, comptroller says,” by Hudson County View’s Nikita Biyrukov: “Hudson County repeatedly violated state procurement laws meant to guard against corruption when awarding contracts worth more than $50 million for health services at the Hudson County Correctional Center, the state comptroller said Thursday. Meanwhile, when told about the violation, the county’s top attorney told the comptroller’s office that opening up bidding for the contract to the public would have resulted in proposals from vendors the county didn’t want to participate in the bidding process, according to a letter unveiled Thursday by acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh. Walsh said Hudson County repeatedly violated the Local Public Contracts Law by misapplying an exception for professional service contracts, illegally extending the improper awards, and repeatedly failing to notify the comptroller of the bidding, as required by state law.”

SAVE THE WHALES, SCREW THE BIRDS — “Ocean City challenges proposed beach rules on endangered species,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Bill Barlow: “Each summer, thousands of visitors crowd the beaches of the Jersey Shore, vying for space for blankets, beach chairs and umbrellas. Shy, tiny and astonishingly well camouflaged, the piping plover also needs a piece of those beaches in the summer. Along with the least tern and the black skimmer, the endangered birds nest on the beach and dunes. New rules under consideration could increase protection for plovers and other endangered species. In a unanimous vote recently, City Council has opposed those rules, describing the proposal as being in conflict with the public trust doctrine, a protected right of public access to the beach with roots in English Common Law, dating to before the American Revolution.”

SEX ED, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE — “Westwood schools move to ban unauthorized recording of teachers, students,” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “The Westwood Regional School District board continued to unwind changes made by a previous parental rights majority, voting this week to begin scrapping a policy that limited opinions teachers could give on 'controversial issues.' The new board also proposed rules limiting the recording of teachers and school staff without their permission. Although it wasn't mentioned during Monday's discussion, conservative media figure James O'Keefe threatened last year to distribute hidden cameras to students to fight what he said was political indoctrination in the district. On Monday night, the board voted 6-3 to consider a revised version of Westwood Regional's controversial issues policy, which sets limits on how teachers are supposed to handle discussion of material not already approved in the curriculum … Last summer, the former majority updated an existing 'controversial issues' policy that added stricter language about teachers expressing personal opinions as well as a requirement that parents be notified when such conversations arise."

IT WILL TAKE CREWS TO FIX — “Rogue waves damaged Jersey Shore’s controversial cross-shaped pier,” by NJ Advance Media’s Rob Jennings: “The new $2 million pier on the Jersey Shore that drew controversy after it was built in the shape of a Christian cross — only to close eight months later amid structural concerns — was damaged by rogue waves, an inspection found. The Ocean Grove pier, which has been closed since mid-December for safety reasons, recently got an up-close inspection by divers from a prominent engineering firm investigating what went wrong. Three of the pier’s 88 newly-installed pilings were broken by ‘unusually strong ocean wave action’ on separate occasions in October and December, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association said in its most recent update.”

—“Damning report on Bradley Beach police chief sparks lawsuit, clash between mayor, council”

—“Edison paying $144K for website update after IT consultant councilman offers to do it free”

—“Atlantic City Council approves Green Zone expansion to Albany Avenue”

—“Bergen County introduces 2024 budget. Here's what it means for taxpayers”

—“'We want every dollar': Hawthorne school board questions $900K loss of state aid”

—“Effort to make West Milford's mayor full-time doesn't sit well with some”

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EVERYTHING ELSE

BUSTED CUMBERBUND COUNTY — “Where do the fattest, heaviest drinking and smoking New Jersey residents live?” by MyCentralJersey’s Mike Deak: “Cumberland County, in far southern New Jersey, has the highest percentage of obese residents in the Garden State. The rural county also leads the state in the percentage of residents who smoke. But it's two counties in central and northern New Jersey which top the list for percentage of people who are excessive drinkers. Those statistics are part of the picture of health in New Jersey compiled in the annual County Health Rankings released Wednesday by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation … The counties with the least percentage of excessive drinkers are Middlesex (14%), Essex (15%) and Somerset (16%). The state average is 17% and the national average is 18%.”

—“Battleship New Jersey leaves port for the first time in 20 years for drydock refurbishment”

—“How happy are New Jersey residents? Many want to leave the state. Here's why”

—“Travel time to Newark Airport will be slashed to 9 minutes for these nearby residents”

A message from Alibaba:

New Jersey skin care company Phyto-C grew revenue 600% after launching on Alibaba's online marketplace, which reaches over one billion consumers in China. This small business is among thousands of American brands growing global sales on Alibaba. In New Jersey alone, U.S. sales on Alibaba added $1.3B to the state GDP while supporting over 10 thousand full-time jobs in 2022.

“As a small business, none of this would have been possible without Alibaba. From day one, Alibaba supported our entry into the Chinese market by providing data-driven consumer insights that helped shape our marketing strategy and proactive guidance on supply chain and logistical hurdles,” said Dr. Eddie Omar, CEO of Phyto-C.

Learn more.