I Know Christie Is Yesterday's News But.....

[Laxman]

I always thought the Ben Barlyn incident would be the one that brought him down. And since his toadie Kim Guadagno is running for governor, its important to note that this mess was her doing. She's the one who pulled the strings to get Barlyn fired to protect her buddies. She had no shot to get elected in the first place but now she needs to be embarrassed. Just for posterity, this was item #1 in the Christie Crime Digest (90,000 views and a lifetime ago).....bringing it up just because the pig was attacking Mueller in the press today.....

Release documents on suit that cost N.J. $5.3M, judiciary chair says

Assembly Judiciary Chairman John McKeon (D-27th) has filed a lawsuit seeking the release of documents related to the 2010 firing of a former assistant Hunterdon County prosecutor who alleged an indictment against the then-Hunterdon County sheriff was dismissed for political reasons.

The suit, filed Thursday against Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the attorney general's public records custodian, Bruce J. Solomon, comes after Porrino's office was unresponsive to McKeon's Open Public Records Act request for the documents, according to a statement released by McKeon.

The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

The documents, according to McKeon, include "communications" between Gov. Chris Christie's administration and then-Hunterdon County Sheriff Deborah Trout, who was among those charged in a 2010 indictment alleging official misconduct and falsification of documents.

Then-Attorney General Paula Dow later quashed the indictment, deeming it legally and factually deficient.

Ben Barlyn, at the time an assistant Hunterdon County prosecutor, claimed in the lawsuit he was fired for complaining to a superior that the case was dropped for political reasons. He was one of three assistant prosecutors to be dismissed in the fallout over the indictment, it was previously reported.

Barlyn, as part of his lawsuit, won access to see grand jury transcripts, and in March testified at a committee hearing he had uncovered criminal behavior, but couldn't talk about it because of the gag order.

"The Attorney General's Office has continued to withhold production of any and all documents that are in any way responsive to my request," said McKeon. "This lawsuit is an unfortunate, but necessary, step. New Jersey cannot have an Attorney General's Office that is unresponsive to the public.

McKeon in March asked the state Attorney General's Office to waive confidentiality and release documents related to a $1.5 million confidential settlement Barlyn reached with the state as part of a whistleblower lawsuit. The state also spent $3.8 million in legal fees on the case, it was previously reported.

Barlyn agreed to release the documents, but, McKeon said, the state's response was unsatisfactory. That led to an Open Public Records Act request being made in August.

"The Attorney General's 2010 suppression of the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office, the subsequent withdrawal of the Trout indictments and the later settlement of the Barlyn litigation raise important questions of public concern and public policy," it is stated in the lawsuit. "These matters also are of vital concern to the Legislature and to the Assemblyman in his capacity as Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee."

Read the rest here: http://www.nj.com/hunterdon/index.ssf/2017/10/release_documents_on_suit_that_cost_nj_53_million.html

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

1. I thought you were dead!

At least that's what I heard. I saw Christie going after Mueller this morning too. What a scumbag. But then again, we all already knew that.