News : 3 Republicans, 3 indictments, 0 comments

Friday, August 11, 2023

3 Republicans, 3 indictments, 0 comments

Aug 11, 2023

Presented by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Good Friday morning!

It’s been 10 days since former President Donald Trump received his third indictment. And the GOP members of the New Jersey delegation haven’t said a peep.

The three Republicans in the 12-member delegation have been back in their districts since the news that Trump was indicted on charges relating to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

One of New Jersey’s most famous Republicans is also one of Trump’s harshest GOP critics. Former Gov. Chris Christie was quick to blast the former president’s legal troubles while visiting New Hampshire on Tuesday, the same day as Trump this week.

“He was being indicted for the third time, literally at the same time as I'm walking around Ukraine,” Christie said to attendees.

But where do the Republican New Jersey delegation members Jeff Van Drew, Chris Smith, and Tom Kean Jr. stand? So far, silent.

POLITICO reached out to all three Republicans for comment on Trump’s indictments … none responded.

Van Drew and Smith were the only two members to be in Congress on Jan. 6, the day of the riot. While Smith voted across party lines to instate a Jan. 6 commission, Van Drew voted against it with the majority of Republicans and faced backlash from the rest of his delegation.

Van Drew is typically not the quiet type. The former Democrat turned biggest Trump ally in New Jersey and House Judiciary Committee member has called past indictments political persecution.

Smith’s silence could be more intentional. After voting with Democrats to probe Trump’s role in Jan. 6, Smith faced his toughest primary after 42 years of Congress.

And finally there’s Kean, son of former republican Governor Tom Kean who unseated former Rep. Tom Malinowski last fall. He is no newbie to avoiding press — especially with three Democrats challengers in the 2024 race.

And with a possible fourth indictment looming in Georgia — less connected to New Jersey members on Capitol Hill — it’s unlikely we’ll hear anything more.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Matt is taking a well-deserved vacation, and I’ll be covering NJ Playbook alongside Dustin Racioppi and Ry Rivard until he is back next week.

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

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Where I grew up and the way I was raised, was a man who has something to say to another man, comes up to him and looks him in the eye and says it to him and a coward does the opposite.” — presidential candidate and former Gov. Chris Christie campaigning in New Hampshire, in reference to Trump currently planning to not attend the GOP debate on Aug. 23.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin, Hamilton Deputy COS Kate Bradley, Local 54’s Ben Albert, Sires spox Erica Daughtery, Menendez staffer Aileen McCandless, former congressional candidate Antony Ghee.

WHERE’S MURPHY? — Attending a visitation at the Essex County Historic Courthouse for the late Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver from 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m. with First Lady Tammy Murphy.

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

HONORING SHEILA OLIVER — “‘She was our queen.’ Crowd bids farewell to late Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver as she lies in state at N.J. capitol,” by Brent Johnson. The visitors — both private citizens and public officials — bowed their heads or said prayers as they walked up to Oliver’s closed casket, which was draped in an American flag, under the golden dome of the building’s rotunda. The event was an unprecedented honor for a groundbreaking woman. Oliver, a Democrat who died at 71 from undisclosed causes, was the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the New Jersey Assembly and the first in state history to hold statewide elected office.

MURPHY AND COUNCILS AND BEARS, OH MY! — “Group Calls on Murphy Administration to Cancel Bear Hunt,” by InsiderNJ: “As expected, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council’s (Council) ‘emergency’ bear hunt in December of 2022 is revealed to be a sham, according to the Animal Protection League of New Jersey. The group is now urging the Murphy administration to reject the pending black bear hunt proposal. In November of 2022, the Council inflated the bear population estimates and convinced the governor and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection commissioner to approve an 'emergency' bear hunt.”

— “N.J. students need smarter reading lessons, advocates say”

— “Rutgers University study correlates concealed carry licenses with gun violence”

— “N.J. jail must pay family $1.5M for negligence in man’s suicide, Supreme Court rules”

— “Can firefighters, EMTs use NJ legal weed? 'Nobody wants to be the test case'”

— “Celebrating Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, untiring advocate for racial, economic justice”

— “No, NJ didn’t ban your gas stove — despite what some Republican lawmakers said”

— “New contribution limits boost party fundraising”

— “Temp workers law takes full effect in NJ”

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BIDEN TIME

CHRISTIE TIME — “Watchdog group files FEC complaint against Christie super PAC over large donation,” by Joey Fox: “The list of donors for Tell It Like It Is, a super PAC supporting former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign, includes a number of well-known names in Republican donor circles. Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass gave the PAC $250,000; real estate magnate Harlan Crow gave $100,000; and Murray Kushner, the estranged uncle of Jared Kushner, gave $10,000. But the biggest donation of all came from a much more obscure source: SHBT LLC, a Texas-based company that was established just last year. SHBT LCC gave the PAC $1 million, accounting for more than one-sixth of $5.88 million the PAC raised overall.”

HELLO SIGNORELLO – Scott Salmon is joining Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello’s team to unseat Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in 2024. Salmon — known for getting Kanye West off of New Jersey’s presidential ballot — chairs the election group as a partner at Jardim, Meisner & Susser, P.C. He previously worked as Campaign Counsel for Tom Malinowski and ran for the district seat in 2018, before endorsing Malinowski. Signorello also added Jason DeAlessi as campaign manager, Mikayla Fitzherbert as Finance Director, Danny Kazin as Media Consultant, Anna Greenberg for polling and Eric Goldman as a Digital Consultant. Signorello is the third Democrat to enter the race, after progressive activist Sue Altman announced her bid first and Jason Blazakis made his announcement this week.

A message from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital:

LOCAL

LIVINGSTON — “Residents on alert after coyote sightings in N.J. town,” by Richard Cowen for NJ.com: “There have been multiple sightings of coyotes in the Essex County suburb of Livingston this week, prompting police to advise residents to be extra cautious when walking their pets near wooded areas. Residents have reported seeing a coyote roaming on Wingate Drive, and in the areas around Harrison, Heritage, and Hillside schools, a News12 report said. One Livingston resident claimed that her nanny was nearly attacked by a coyote while walking the dog.”

BEACH PATROL BDAY— “Ocean City Beach Patrol celebrates 125 years this weekend,” by The press of Atlantic City’s Guy Gargan: “The Ocean City Beach Patrol is holding a series of events this weekend to celebrate the 125th year of the patrol. ‘The lifeguard connections run very deep in Ocean City,’ said Jack Brooks, 65, the President of the OCBP Alumni Association. ‘A group of us sat down, and we didn’t look to create one big event but a series of events that are good for the city and we can tag onto them and amplify the fact that the beach patrol is a part of them all.’”

EVICTIONS IN PLAINFIELD — “Plainfield families evicted because of 'heartless and uncaring' landlord: mayor,” by Suzanne Russell for MyCentralJersey.com: “Families living in two West 7th Street apartment buildings are temporarily homeless after the structures were declared unfit for human habitation and tenants were given just 24 hours to vacate. A red notice of condemnation was posted on 501-15 West 7th St. Tuesday, indicating that occupancy of the entire four-story building is prohibited, and the building must be vacated within 24 hours on Aug. 9.”

OCEAN COUNTY — “Emergency youth shelter closes in Ocean County,” by Ted Goldberg for NJ Spotlight News: “The doors have shut on a long-standing emergency youth shelter in Ocean County as the nonprofit that operated it pivots to focus on serving homeless families. The number of young people seeking the services of Ocean’s Harbor House has dwindled in recent years. A lack of funding has also been an issue.”

— “Jersey City BOE scores $1.6M federal grant for substance use & mental health programs”

— “How expensive is it to live in New Jersey? We break it down, state-by-state"

— “Private equity firm makes bid for Tabula Rasa HealthCare of Moorestown”

— “Middletown Planning Board Votes to Adopt Route 36 Study”

— “Newark pushes pre-K participation following enrollment increase last year”

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EVERYTHING ELSE

— “The Jonas Brothers perform at American Dream Mall in East Rutherford”

A message from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital:

We at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital are deeply disappointed with United Steel Workers 4-200's extreme action to strike. No one benefits from the strike, least of all our nurses. We maintain good-faith negotiation efforts with the union representing nurses. Multiple attempts to prevent the strike were rejected, including accepting the union's demands and offering arbitration. RWJUH is already among the highest-staffed hospitals in the state, and our nurses are currently the highest-paid in New Jersey. Our top priority is our patients. We remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering the highest-quality care in the safest environment. We want to reassure our patients, their families, and our community that we continue to care without interruption. We remain fully open and continue to deliver the high-quality care they deserve.