Chris Christie’s Record as a Prosecutor Is NOT All He Claims
Chris Christie thought he had a winning formula.
- Get a job as a prosecutor,
- Prosecute for headlines and bag public officials or anyone else who’s demise will garner press,
- Become the (self proclaimed) hero of the common man against the forces of evil and corruption and,
- Run for office on your self-woven magic carpet of publicity!
Now if this story sounds familiar it should, its been a perennial favorite of the ambitious and legalistic. Across the Hudson it’s been the theme of choice for two big names; Rudy Giuliani and Elliot Spitzer (better known as “Love Client #9”). Both took the corruption-buster-prosecutor-express right into public office. Of course the outcomes were pretty much at opposite ends of the spectrum - form the sublime to the ridiculous. Nonetheless a chubby guy form central Jersey saw a path to glory and God bless him he (in the words of Plunket of Tammany Hall) “seen …[his] opportunities and [he] took’em”.
Now Step #1 is fairly easy. Getting a prosecutorial job isn’t very difficult because being a prosecutor is a grueling, thankless, tiresome way to earn some points with heaven, the local bar, the public, outside law practices and perhaps certain political interests (if you play your cards right). We shall be forever grateful to Chris Christie and the other people who take on the prosecutorial role in a serious and conscientious way. Of course there are the exceptions and Mr. Spitzer’s balance of ambition vs. service may be a prime example but, generally we should be thankful for the difficult work that real and effective prosecutors do every day.
That having been said, and keeping Mr. Spitzer in mind, one does realize that ambition can “color” prosecutions and the decisions that go into them. For example, Spitzer used a 100+ year old law which had virtually no history of being enforced to bring charges against Wall Street executives, knowing that his cases were somewhere between very tenuous and totally bogus. Spitzer would file the cases with much public fanfare and faux incredulity knowing that a lefty-friendly press would lap-up and amplify his populist diatribes. The effect of the bad press for Spitzer’s targets was gross personal public embarrassment, loss in stock value and possible loss of corporate director’s confidence – and that’s just in the 48 hours after Spitzer’s initial bombshell news conference. Little wonder that the “perps” sought to settle PDQ and usually paid a modest fine along with some vague and innocuous admission of guilt – but Spitzer could then righteously crow about bringing the running dog capitalist to heal and the press played on…well until the Spitzer’s house of righteousness came tumbling down while a very attractive (physically anyway) young lady was also (going down). But not before Elliot, boy-wonder of prosecutorial world had become Governor-boy-wonder.
Now comes Mr. Christie with a faaaaabulous record of 130 wins 0 losses (Step #2)! Wow if Christie was an American league team – Steinbrenner would buy him! But really, the sports analogy is worth exploring. You see we typically think of wins and losses in a sports context. One in which the schedule is set by a third party, the opponents are legitimate contenders and the rules are set and administered by an objective third party. But a prosecutor is nothing like a sports team. He decides when to play, when to fold, what constitutes a win and where the goal posts are set - you name it…..he decides who, what, when and how much to go after – all in the name of justice. This can be good thing, or a Mike Nifong nightmare. Mr. Christie has amassed a good record no doubt, but he also seems to have amassed a lot of baggage as well. There’s this little matter of how his brother miraculously escapes prosecution by a fellow prosecutor who 24 months later gets a $29 million dollar, no-bid “monitoring” contract from Mr. Christie. Also there is the basic question of; How hard did Mr. Christie fight for headlines vs. justice with a record of zero losses? I’m sure he’s good, but let’s face it, if you set your own goal posts and you never miss how hard are you trying? All prosecutors cut deals, its integral to the job on a daily basis. The question is, when did Mr. Christie go to the mat and when did he pull his punches to keep his record and his “image” burnished? The exact answer is difficult to know, but next time you hear 130 wins and zero losses ask yourself; Who paid the price for Step #4? Who was raped? What cities defrauded? What retirement funds were stolen? - by crooks on whome the evidence was less-than-perfect and the prosecutor had his eye on political office rather than the next victim? Christie’s record is fantastic, spectacular…unbelievable!
Todd Zirkle
Chairman, Freedom’s Defense Fund
