Democrat Menendez broke federal law. Star-Ledger asks Republican to quit race.

It's a severe case of payback for daring to ask a question.

A day after the Senate Ethics Committee's "severe admonishment" of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Steve Lonegan, a conservative Republican congressional candidate in CD05 wrote to the Star-Ledger editorial board and asked when they might comment on the Senate Ethics Committee's action against Menendez.

"The Senate Ethics Committee said Thursday that Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, who avoided conviction in a federal corruption trial last year, violated federal law and Senate rules in accepting unreported gifts from a friend and political ally." (Washington Post, April 26, 2018)

It's now been five days, and the Star-Ledger has yet to comment on Senator Menendez.  Instead of making a statement about the corrupt Democrat , Star-Ledger editor Tom Moran quickly scratched around for a Republican to attack.  It's called deflection.

Moran claimed that a 12-year-old unfounded allegation from a former Democrat candidate for mayor in Lonegan's hometown, long known as crank, and noted for his serial accusations of officials in Bergen County, amounted to  a "gay slur" even though the man alleging the slur isn't gay.  Despite there being no proof to the allegation, when Lonegan asked about Menendez, Moran replied in writing to Lonegan:

"We are also writing about the accusation against you making a gay slur, as you know.  We believe that's grounds for you to step down from the race."

Unfortunately, for the Star-Ledger, while editor Moran was writing these lines, a New Jersey court was confirming that the accuser Moran based his attack on had no veracity at all.  The case was dismissed.  When this was pointed out to Moran, he published anyway.

It is no surprise to those who have been following Moran that the Star-Ledger editor doesn't believe in fairness or due process.  After all, in another Star-Ledger editorial (from 2013) Moran labeled the Constitution as a “source of our woes” and suggested that President Obama or a future President Clinton be given the power to appoint 10 senators and 50 congressmen to serve “at large”. 

Five days on and still no word from Star-Ledger demanding that corrupt Democrat Bob Menendez step down from the U.S. Senate.  Maybe they will never comment? 

You can read the Ethics Committee's full statement here:

https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=49C12C75-7A26-4FE6-B070-19FCEF4D7532

Is it one law for Bob Menendez, another for everyone else?

More evidence that we live in an oligarchy and that the political class gets privileges that the rest of us do not.  Take gun laws, for instance.

If an average person who resides in or visits New Jersey takes "possession" of a rifle, he or she is breaking the law and the police wouldn't hesitate to make an arrest.  Here are those laws:

2C:39-5 Unlawful possession of weapons.

c.Rifles and shotguns. (1) Any person who knowingly has in his possession any rifle or shotgun without having first obtained a firearms purchaser identification card in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.2C:58-3, is guilty of a crime of the third degree.

2C:58-3  Purchase of firearms. 
b.Firearms purchaser identification card.  No person shall sell, give, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of nor receive, purchase or otherwise acquire an antique cannon or a rifle or shotgun, other than an antique rifle or shotgun, unless the purchaser, assignee, donee, receiver or holder is licensed as a dealer under this chapter or possesses a valid firearms purchaser identification card, and first exhibits said card to the seller, donor, transferor or assignor, and unless the purchaser, assignee, donee, receiver or holder signs a written certification, on a form prescribed by the superintendent, which shall indicate that he presently complies with the requirements of subsection c. of this section and shall contain his name, address and firearms purchaser identification card number or dealer's registration number.  The said certification shall be retained by the seller, as provided in paragraph (4) of subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:58-2, or, in the case of a person who is not a dealer, it may be filed with the chief of police of the municipality in which he resides or with the superintendent.

The law is very clear, and average folks have been arrested for having only the briefest possession of a rifle.  So when U.S. Senator Bob Menendez staged a press conference in order to do a public relations video about having even tougher gun laws, he should have left the rifle on the table.  But instead, he picked it up to use it as a prop.  Whoops... looks like he broke the law.

There is clear case law on this...

https://casetext.com/case/crossroads-gun-shop-v-edwards

Plaintiff Raymond Schneider is a licensed gun retailer doing business as "Crossroads Gun Shop" in Pennsauken, New Jersey. On or about November 1, 1985 Schneider began the operation of a pistol target range immediately adjacent to his gun shop. For a fee, plaintiff would allow certain individuals to rent pistols from him and fire them on the range, regardless of whether these customers had valid firearm purchaser permits under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-3a. Subsequently, state police officers visited the premises and advised Schneider that this practice was illegal and should terminate. In response, plaintiff has filed this declaratory judgment action for a construction of the statute and the Attorney General has now made a motion for summary judgment which is presently before the court.

But check this out.  When Congressional candidate Steve Lonegan attempted to press the matter and file a criminal complaint with police, the local police department was too afraid to accept it.  Do they know better than to piss off an oligarch?

https://www.facebook.com/follow.lonegan/videos/999605093531711/?notif_id=1523571445413865&notif_t=live_video

Stay tuned...