Nadine is Nadone. Are federal public corruption cases done, too?
Nadine Menendez, wife of former Sen. Bob Menendez, was found guilty Monday of the 15 corruption counts against her that largely mirrored the corruption counts her husband was convicted of in July.
It turns out spousal blame, one used by both Bob and Nadine, was probably not the best legal defense strategy, though it’s hard to say what could have been a good strategy given the amount of evidence against them. The two met at an International House of Pancakes in Union City. Now they’re both likely headed to the national big house.
Both appear to be angling for clemency from President Donald Trump, which isn’t that much of a stretch considering Trump’s pardoning of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his administration’s dropping of the case against Eric Adams. Plus, there’s the fact that court precedent had already made it more difficult to prosecute corruption cases and Menendez is appealing his convictions.
Read more about it from Ry Rivard.
Here in New Jersey, Attorney General Matt Platkin just saw a judge dismiss his case against George Norcross — one of the most high-profile corruption cases the state has ever seen, and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability is under fire for several botched cases. And the media, of course, is a fraction of its former size and spread quite thin.
It seems like a great time to be a crooked pol. Unless, perhaps, you’re a crooked pol who’s on the president’s bad side.
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WHERE’S MURPHY? Leaving for Poland until Friday. On Thursday he’ll walk in the International March of the Living to commemorate the Holocaust
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think this is politically motivated and this is all political.” — Nadine Menendez
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Lori Price Abrams, Walter Fields, Ryan Jones, Al LiCata
PAC MAN — Fulop super PAC finally lets loose after amassing millions over a decade, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: After raising more than $11 million over a decade and spending little of it, a pro-Steven Fulop super PAC has turned on the spigot, nearly emptying its fat coffers to aid the Jersey City mayor’s gubernatorial run as the Democratic primary enters the homestretch. Coalition for Progress, which is officially run by Fulop’s wife’s business partner, Drew Nussbaum, terminated its federal account on March 31 after spending more than $4.6 million, mostly on TV, digital and print advertising, mostly in the month of March. The PAC then transferred its remaining $6.5 million to its New Jersey version, which in March spent an additional $4.2 million on TV, digital, mail and billboard advertising. “This year’s Democratic Primary offers New Jersey a historic opportunity to break away from machine politics and elect leaders who will be accountable only to the people, which is why our organization is working hard to support Steven Fulop and the Democrats for Change slate of state and local candidates,” Nussbaum said in a statement … The spending is a huge departure from the PAC’s past practices. When it was formed in 2015, Coalition for Progress’ then-president, Bari Mattes, said it was formed to “address needed reforms at the federal and state levels” and that it planned to be active in elections from 2016 through 2020 … Almost every major Democratic and Republican candidate for governor this year has a super PAC run by allies spending to boost them, though none have existed as long as Fulop’s.
TARIFFIC — “New chaos — Trump tariffs and rising utility rates — engulf NJ politics,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “For New Jersey Republicans, affordability — the amorphous promise to make life cheaper and more manageable by lowering taxes and general expenses, all while sounding empathetic — was to be the key that would unlock them from nearly two decades of time served in the prison of Trenton irrelevance. It was the theme that fueled their surprising gains in the Legislature four years ago and the near-rout of Democratic incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021. Democrats got the memo. They mothballed their ‘woke’ agenda and replaced it with their own I-feel-your-pain affordability platform, built largely around sending homeowners generous property tax rebates. But the wrecking ball that President Donald Trump has taken to global trade — and possibly the national and global economies — threaten to dash those hopes and scramble the GOP campaign agenda in New Jersey … But just as Trump’s self-inflicted sticker shock has raised alarms for Republicans, New Jersey Democrats are dealing with an electric shock of their own: an expected 17% to 20% hike in utility bills beginning June 1.”
RAIDERS OF THE ARC — “Nine NJ disability programs are on the budget chopping block. Here’s what could be lost,” by The Record’s Gene Myers: “Several nonprofit programs that support New Jerseyans with developmental disabilities are facing elimination under Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget, a prospect that has alarmed advocates who say they provide critical support to the community. Murphy’s $58.1 billion budget plan, now in state lawmakers’ hands, includes $4 million in cuts to grants handed out annually by the state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities. The money supports nonprofits that provide disabled New Jerseyans with physical and occupational therapy, legal help to negotiate with insurers, job training and other services. ‘It wasn’t a surgical cut. It was a flat cut of the whole line,’ said Thomas Baffuto, executive director of The Arc of New Jersey, one of the state’s biggest disability service providers. ‘From what we understand, they didn’t look at what was in those lines before cutting them.’”
GAMBLING — “NJ may mandate that gambling ads say it can be addictive, among other responsible-betting steps,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Wayne Parry: “New Jersey says it needs new laws to better protect people engaged in gambling, including a requirement that all betting advertisements prominently include a message warning it may be addictive. In a report issued Monday, the state’s Responsible Gambling Task Force recommended numerous protections for gamblers. They include education in elementary schools about the risks of gambling; creating a one-stop website where people with a gambling problem can get help and exclude themselves from all forms of gambling at once; conducting an annual study of all forms of gambling; and expanding the range of gambling companies that contribute toward responsible-betting programs … The report stems from an executive order Gov. Phil Murphy signed last June establishing a task force to make recommendations on how the state can better protect people from the hazards of gambling. It came after a 2023 Rutgers University study found that people in New Jersey have a higher risk of gambling problems than the national average.”
CALIFORNIA OF THE EAST — “Is New Jersey tackling housing affordability the right way?” by NJ Spotlight News’ John Reitmeyer: “Among the more jarring stories shared with lawmakers during the latest round of public hearings on the state budget was the plight of a 94-year-old Newark man who recently showed up at a homeless shelter. The ever-rising cost of his rent was the sole reason a nonagenarian was put out on the street and left seeking refuge at the shelter, according to Connie Mercer, executive director of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness … In addition to Mercer, many other advocates who testified over the course of four lengthy public hearings on the state budget shared concerns related to housing, including a growing homeless population and the increasingly high cost of owning or renting homes and apartments in New Jersey. Housing affordability has been a perennial concern in New Jersey. But after several years of steady increases in the rate of inflation, including in housing, many during the budget hearings described the state’s current conditions as a crisis.”
— Pizarro: “The fight to look like the toughest one in a fight”
— “Jersey Shore bar owner warns alcohol tax hike could be ‘final blow’ for many N.J. businesses”
— “NJ lawmakers question school funding formula, federal aid in Trenton budget hearing”
— “More than 600,000 N.J. residents just had their medical debt abolished”
— “Lawyers in school segregation case want appellate court to weigh in”
— “Brian Bergen endorses Ciattarelli, smacks Spadea”
— “Hector & Alonso: Stack pays no Union City property taxes; mayor says he’s paid $70k”
— “Sherrill campaigns against backdrop of stock market tumble”
STATES’ RIGHTS — “N.Y.C. has to end $9 toll to enter Manhattan or lose highway funding, feds say,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an ultimatum to New York on Monday — end the $9 congestion pricing toll to enter Lower Manhattan or lose federal highway money. If New York doesn’t comply, New Jersey drivers crossing the Hudson through the two tunnels to Manhattan could get a double whammy upon arrival, a $9 congestion pricing toll and bad road conditions if federal officials cut off highway funding.”
— “ICE wants to boot NJ woman even though she’s the star witness in her own stabbing”
BROKEN REED — “Trenton skipped bidding rules for $1.7M in parks and recreation contracts,” by The Jersey Vindicator’s Elise Young: “The city of Trenton, which skirted state contracting laws to pay for an ill-fated Delaware River park beautification project, used the same tactic to favor several more companies with other no-bid recreation work all over town, public records show. The expenditures totaled at least $1.7 million over roughly 40 months, according to an analysis of tens of thousands of pages of government documents obtained by The Jersey Vindicator. Each of the handpicked vendors, working under Recreation, Natural Resources and Culture Department then-chief Maria Richardson and her replacement, Paul Harris, had total compensation well in excess of a $44,000 threshold that triggers mandatory public bidding to achieve the lowest price. While city officials have declined to answer The Jersey Vindicator’s inquiries about these and other expenditures, last week they announced that they agreed to hire a forensic accountant at the ‘urging’ of state fiscal overseers. Forensic audits typically seek evidence of financial irregularities that may point to waste, fraud and abuse.”
IN THE RED COUNTIES — “New Jersey school taxes to rise dramatically in many Ocean and Monmouth school districts,” by the Asbury Park Press’ Amanda Oglesby: “School taxes are about to rise significantly in many New Jersey communities, as a decades-old rule that held down property tax increases is about to lifted temporarily in some places. Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration identified 281 of the state’s 590 operating school districts that were not taxing their residents enough to pay for schools and were not spending enough money to adequately educate their students. Those schools were recently notified that they may be eligible to exceed the state-mandated 2% cap on local tax levy increases for the upcoming school year, if they had exhausted other avenues of balancing their budgets. Nineteen of those districts are in Monmouth County and 18 are in Ocean County.”
— “Toms River Regional cuts 3 administrators, seeks NJ aid that would mean school tax jump”
FINANCIAL PAINFIELD — “Plainfield scraps 36% school tax hike but ‘cuts will be inevitable,’ says BOE president,” by MyCentralJersey’s Suzanne Russell: “The Board of Education has reversed course after introducing a budget last month that called for a 36% school tax increase. Board of Education Vice President Victor Webb proposed a new budget for the 2025-26 school year last week that keeps the tax rate flat, but warned a school tax hike is likely in the city’s future. The school board passed the new proposal by a narrow 5-4 vote on April 15. The $336 million school budget proposal last month would’ve increased the city tax levy to an estimated $520,371, an $853 property tax increase on the average city home. It would’ve been the first school tax increase in the city in six years, according to district officials.”
THE EASTER GUNNY — “Man flashed gun during Easter party at N.J. park, cops say,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Gray: “Authorities have arrested a man on charges that he flashed a gun during a family Easter party at a Gloucester County park on Saturday evening. Officers responded to South Delsea Drive Park in Glassboro shortly before 7 p.m. for a report of a man with a firearm, borough police said. A caller reported that a family Easter celebration was taking place at the park when the man lifted his shirt, showing a gun in his waistband, police said.”
— “Former Upper Township Administrator DeMarzo ordered to cover legal fees in defamation suit”
— “U.S. Treasury pulls back $450K from Paterson over Medicaid debt”
— “Talks continue on contentious Wildwoods beach project, but will anyone budge?”
— “McGreevey has big fundraising edge in Jersey City mayoral race”
— “Fulop lauds $744.57M prelim Jersey City budget with 0% municipal tax hike”
R.I.P. — “North Jersey Catholics recall Pope Francis as a champion for the marginalized,” by The Record’s Deena Yellin: “A living example of Christ. A model for people of faith in the 21st century. A pope of joy and hope. Those were just some of the reactions from North Jersey Catholics on Monday upon learning of the death of Pope Francis, a leader they said was devoted to making the Catholic Church more progressive and inclusive. The Catholic leader died just hours after blessing the faithful at the Easter Mass from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. On Monday, he was widely praised as a voice of the marginalized who thrilled many progressives with his commitment to social justice.”
METLIFE, NOT MEET DEATH — “Potential World Cup health risks: Are we ready? by NJ Spotlight News’ Lilo H. Stainton: “At Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus, staff is preparing for the worst-case scenario that could be coming from a few miles away. Hudson Regional is the closest hospital to MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, where several of the soccer matches in next summer’s World Cup — the biggest sports tournament in the world — are set to be held. And 15 months out, Dr. Nizar Kifaieh, CEO of the 200-bed facility, said he has had little guidance from New Jersey health officials or event planners. He is unsure of how Hudson Regional fits into the larger plan if there is a disease outbreak of some kind or mass casualty event. The games at MetLife — including the final championship game — will each likely attract close to 100,000 people including fans, staff and volunteers … World Cup leaders and state officials said they have begun public health planning in advance of the event — in addition to mapping out transportation and accommodation strategies. A national network of communicable disease experts is also working to coordinate prevention, response and mitigation efforts. But the details haven’t reached those like Kifaieh. ‘It would be great to see what the plan looks like [and] make sure everybody understands it,’ Kifaieh said.”
— “Demolition of Sheraton Crossroads Hotel in Mahwah postponed. New date set”
— “Mom says her son was dead 6 hours before [Greystone] psychiatric hospital noticed”
