Weiner lawyer: The party “line” is for sale in Bergen County

By Rubashov

Does the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO) sell its party line in GOP primaries? Apparently, top Bergen County GOP operative Matthew Gilson thinks so. In a 2020 text exchange with congressional candidate Frank Pallotta, Gilson said as much. Here is what he wrote:

"Buy the line... Either give the money now or don't cry to me when u didn't get the line... I negotiated to give u the line if u gave money... All we can do is tell you how to get the line..."

Gilson, an advisor to the congressional campaign of Nick DeGregorio, was recently made a partner at the Weiner Law Group. Two weeks ago, the Weiner firm announced:

Weiner Law Group LLP is proud to announce that Matthew E. Gilson has been named a Partner of the firm.

While Matthew concentrates his practice primarily in redevelopment, land use and municipal law, he also serves as counsel in a variety of roles to municipalities and public entities. Additionally, he serves as the election law attorney handling disputed elections and ballot issues and has been recognized by several publications for his role in the political arena.

The Weiner law firm – formerly Weiner Lesniak – was prominently mentioned in a Sunday “Watchdog” exposé that appeared in Gannett publications throughout northern New Jersey, including the Bergen Record and New Jersey Herald. The article was investigated by an impressive line-up of New Jersey political writers – Ashley Balcerzak, Dustin Racioppi, and Charlie Stile – and titled, “FBI raided home of political operative for info on murder-for-hire and dark money, docs show.”

The article notes: “That federal investigators are being assisted by a veteran operative who has intimate knowledge of the below-the-radar world of political campaign financing has set the tightknit world of New Jersey politics on edge.

And details in the 2019 search warrant are likely to heighten the anxiety. The document indicates that investigators were not only looking into the murder-for-hire scheme, but also the flood of largely-unregulated political cash that flowed through a constellation of accounts linked to 44-year-old Caddle when he was working for influential Democratic state Sen. Ray Lesniak of Union County.”

The article contains this interesting tidbit…

In addition to murder-for-hire evidence, during the 2019 raid on Caddle’s home federal authorities wanted “documents, records, correspondence, memoranda, and notes” since 2013 related to Lesniak’s former law firm, Weiner Lesniak, his gubernatorial and campaign accounts, and a handful of independent political groups linked to Lesniak.

…Lesniak’s former law partner, Paul Weiner, declined to comment on authorities seeking information between the firm and Caddle.

Federal authorities also were looking for records tied to nearly two dozen campaign funds and political party accounts, two unions, a town department of finance, Caddle’s consulting firms and more. They demanded information from Caddle about a Harrison-based treasurer named Gianni Donates, who formed a majority of the super PACs and nonprofits linked to Caddle, and his tax preparation firm, ATG.

There are a lot of investigative journalists from a lot of media outlets working on this story so, as always, stay tuned…

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
George Orwell

Voters in Washington reject Affirmative Action ballot measure… while NJ Dems push Reparations bill

In Washington State, the affirmative-action measure known as Referendum 88 has gone down to defeat after a week of counting ballots. Had it been approved, it would have implemented affirmative-action legislation known as Initiative 1000. Passed by the state Legislature earlier in the year, Initiative-1000 codified affirmative action for public contracting, employment and education.

While recognized as a generally more liberal state than even New Jersey, Washington has embraced direct democracy in a way the party bosses in New Jersey wouldn’t dare. In response to the Legislature’s passage of Initiative-1000, a group called Let People Vote was formed by a group of immigrants, many of whom were originally from China. They argued that the policy reminded them of their country of origin, that it was a divisive policy, and that it created a system of racial quotas that would allow state government to discriminate. They won.

Back in New Jersey, the likes of Democrats Phil Murphy, Steve Sweeney, and Craig Coughlin don’t have much to fear from Initiative & Referendum. Even when people do manage to get something on the ballot, Governor Murphy sends the Attorney General’s office (i.e. men with guns) to try to prevent the democratic exercise of voting. Maybe they should consider changing the name of their party? Or maybe someone should sue them for false advertising? Because the last thing these Democrat party bosses are is democratic.

In the post-election lame duck session of the Legislature the Democrats have put so-called “criminal justice reform” at the top of the legislative agenda. No, not property tax relief… criminal justice reform. You know, that hobby horse of the very rich – of everyone from George Soros to Koch Industries. This so-called “reform” argues for the decriminalization of actual crime – assaults on human beings and their property – while it seeks to make thinking the “wrong” thoughts or expressing the “wrong” opinions illegal.

On Thursday, a performance has been scheduled, hosted by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It will begin promptly tomorrow, November 14, 2019 at 1:00 PM in Committee Room 11, Fourth Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, New Jersey. Proceeds benefit the Democrat Party of Phil Murphy, Steve Sweeney, and Craig Coughlin.

Among the bills being considered is A-3722/S-2055. This legislation “permits incarcerated persons to receive student financial aid.” And A-5823, which “removes prohibition on voting by persons convicted of indictable offense who are on parole or probation.”

By the way, these are the same Democrats who slashed education funding to New Jersey school children across the state… causing property tax increases. Now they are proposing to provide funding to convicted criminals.

But it doesn’t end there. The Democrats are not only going to ignore property tax relief, they intend to ignore the high rate of foreclosure and the low rate of job creation too. And instead of addressing these important issues, the Democrats will opt to discuss… reparations for slavery. The Civil War ended in 1865 but rather than discuss a problem staring them in the face – like child hunger – the Democrats want to go back and take on history. Hey, Governor Murphy could address child hunger with more jobs and less foreclosure… but nooo, let’s talk reparations. It’s the process by which rich people like Phil Murphy seek to take money from these working class folk to give it to those working class folk, in order to buy votes.

A press release was issued late yesterday by a group calling itself the “Institute”, from which we have taken the following excerpts: “NJ Legislators to Address Voting Rights Restoration and Reparations Legislation This Thursday… Institute, Partners, and Supporters Will Show Support for Full Voting Rights Restoration and Policy-Driven Solutions to Systemic Racism in New Jersey… At 2 pm, the Institute and its partners will join legislators for the introduction of legislation to create a Reparative Justice Task Force in New Jersey. The Task Force will focus on repairing structural racism in New Jersey that can be traced back to slavery in the state and around the country, and recommend targeted policies and investments…”

“Partnering” with the “Institute” include any number of well-funded lobbying organizations – including several affiliated with Rutgers University. So let’s see… property tax relief, high foreclosure rate, low job creation… or reparations? Which will they get to first? We’ll let Princeton University answer that question…

It’s like the Princeton University study says…

“The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

Did the McCann campaign lie to national Republicans?

The campaign of congressional candidate John McCann recently issued a press release claiming to have been placed "on the radar" by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).  "On the radar" is the first designation in the NRCC's "Young Guns" program, which highlights "promising" candidates.

To get considered for this program and to obtain the "on the radar" designation, a candidate's campaign must first fill out a lengthy questionnaire and complete a background survey with questions like:

- If you are an attorney, please list the type of clients/nature of litigation (corporate, criminal defense, family, etc.) and any noteworthy cases that could potentially be relevant in a congressional campaign:

- Have you ever owned or run a business?

- If so, has this business ever been a part of any legal proceedings such as a suit, judgment, bankruptcy, etc.?

- Please list any history/problems with your business partners (bad breakups, criminal history, sanctions, significant lawsuits, etc.).

- Have you or your business ever had any tax warrants, liens, etc., filed against you? Were annual business filings consistently submitted on time?

- Have your personal finances been thoroughly examined, including analysis of any foreclosures, personal bankruptcy filings, investments, etc.? Are all taxes up-to-date?

- Is there anything in your past that has not been addressed in this questionnaire that you see as a potential vulnerability in your run for Congress?

Considering the answers that McCann would have had to provide to questions like these -- if answered truthfully -- we fail to see how the McCann campaign could have possibly obtained entry into the program or secured the designation for their candidate.  If answered truthfully, that is.

We understand that some law enforcement officers who have been in legal disputes with Mr. McCann, an attorney, have accumulated enough background material on him to choke a horse.   And his tax liens and such make for a poor public record.  A quick look at this website will make you wonder what is going on inside the brain cavities at the NRCC:

https://www.realjohnmccann.com/

Could it just be desperation?  The chicken wing of the congressional GOP has been cutting and running rather than standing on its record in 2018.  Nearly half of New Jersey's Republican incumbents have quit rather than fight.  Because of them, New Jersey might well be on its way to becoming another Massachusetts.  And it is no surprise that these incumbents are -- like McCann -- from the GOP's liberal Whitman "My-Party-Too" crowd.  They long ago cut ties with the conservatives who make up the Republican base. 

Maybe the NRCC is taking anyone with a pulse into these programs?  Based on its acceptance of a candidacy as shambolic as McCann's is, the NRCC no longer has the high standards and stringent requirements it once did.

Well, we owe it to you -- our readers -- to get to the bottom of this.  So we are going to publish the questions asked by the NRCC, and the details of what should have been revealed by the McCann campaign to them.  Then we are going to ask the NRCC... Why? 

But not just the NRCC staff.  Because anyone who has read Donna Brazile's new book knows how corrupt national committees can become.  Here's a piece of the story, courtesy of Politico...

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774

So judge for yourself as to whether or not "corruption" of one kind or another could have figured into what happened.  What we do know is that there are eight elected public employees who are responsible for the oversight of the NRCC and should be held to account for its decisions.  They are all members of Congress themselves, and all accountable to the people and to the media -- inside their districts, as well as the wider media.  So we will be reaching out to them as well and asking them:  "Knowing this... why did you allow this to happen?"

Maybe they didn't know?  Maybe they caught a line of bullshit?  Maybe somebody is doing somebody a favor?  Maybe they are scared and believe that it's all over but the shouting?  Who knows?  And that's why we are going to ask.