A full two days after The BRAD BLOG exclusively broke the story of allegations by Yvonne Smith Segars, the chief of the New Jersey Public Defender’s office, charging Gov. Chris Christie with “bullying tactics” and violations of state law, as well as both the NJ and U.S. Constitutions, in trying to muscle her out of office and inappropriately attempting to take over hiring there, a NJ newspaper has finally covered the story as well. It is the only one to do so, so far, to our knowledge.
Here’s NJ Star-Ledger columnist Bob Braun finally ringing in with smart coverage: “N.J. public defender says Christie is trying to force her to resign,” in which he notes:
Other than Braun’s report today, and our own from Tuesday, there appears to be virtually no coverage of this story anywhere else, even as it seems to be a very important one — particularly given the seriousness of the charges leveled by Segars in the letter she sent to the Governor on Monday (linked in our original report); the fact that her attorney has gone on record calling the matter a “power grab,” comparing Christie to a “king” who has “tampered with the independence of the judiciary and…the Public Defender” meriting impeachment by the state legislature; and especially as it involves allegations of strong-arming and potential law-breaking by a quickly-rising GOP superstar said to be a future Presidential contender.
But, then again, he’s a Republican. So, there ya go. Nothing to see here? Knock, knock, New York Times! Anybody still covering actual news in your NJ Bureau next door?
UPDATE: It seems the Philadelphia Inquirer also picked up the story today in it’s South Jersey News section (though it did not appear in our Google News search, for some reason). Unlike the Inquirer or the Star-Ledger, the online NJ politics outlet PolitickerNJ had the courtesy of crediting us for the scoop in their coverage yesterday by editor Darryl R. Isherwood.
OK, here is a link to the list of MSM newspapers in New Jersey, just to give an idea who is NOT talking about this issue:
http://www.world-newspapers.com/jersey.html
Then, just try using Google to come up with stories on the subject — blogs and electronic media, amost all of the stories that come up.
At some point people are going to have to start tracking the extent to which –and frequency with which — these newspapers are either asleep on the job or else carrying water for particular elected officials or parties.
There’s the issue of risking access when you, er, tell the truth.
So, New Jersey MSM, you’re on notice: we’re WAI-ting…. (drums fingers) and watching you not do your job, of course.
Perhaps there’s nothing there to report. Her term expired, she’s just been hanging on until her replacement is confirmed.
BUT…. based on the “unbiased” views of two left wing bloggers, and the word of the lady who’s being replaced, there must be a conspiracy! He’s WHITE! She’s BLACK! Brad should stick to election stuff.
Fuck Chrisopotamus !
WingnutSteve –
Please do yourself — and the rest of your nation — a favor. Please consider moving beyond the Right/Left, Con/Lib, Repub/Dem bullshit paradigm you’ve been scammed into buying into.
If you find the charges of the 9-year Chief Public Defender, in charge of 1300 serving in the department, to be unworthy of complaint, feel free to let us know why. (Sounds like you either didn’t read Braun’s column and/or Segars’ letter and/or you don’t give a damn about the Constitution and the rule of law — I’ll hope it’s not the latter.)
But you’re bullshit about “left wing bloggers” is ignorant, inaccurate, obnoxious and serves mostly to just help you look like a jackass.
Read Braun’s article, start giving a shit about your country, stop falling for Fox “News” mind fucks and let me know why the hell I wasn’t a “Left wing blogger” while I was writing article after article in support of Joe Miller — you dope.
You weren’t writing article after article in support of Joe Miller. You were writing article after article about election integrity which I have the utmost respect for Brad, as I’ve said many times before.
I don’t see anything in Brauns column which supports the contention that the Governor broke the law, except to refer to Segars’ letter to the Governor making that claim. And of course the hint of racism. She says he did something, he says he didn’t. Good enough for Brad to jump all over.
And I’ll make the same point again; maybe the media didn’t pick it up because there’s nothing there. You sure can’t find anything online about it, at least I couldn’t. Let you know why it’s unworthy? Hell, let me know why it is?
You live for the Right/Left, Con/Lib, Repub/Dem bullshit paradigm… it defines your website, and quite literally EVERY story you write
WingnutSteve wrote:
Precisely!
Unlike those who buy into the “Right/Left, Con/Lib, Repub/Dem bullshit paradigm,” Brad Friedman is about integrity, democracy, freedom and, most of all, truth, no matter whose ox is being gored.
Unfortunately, one can’t say the same thing about you, WingnutSteve, especially as it relates to this article, which has nothing to do with Left/Right and everything to do with a governor who is attempting to politicize the office of public defender, whose role is strictly a legal one entailing the protection of the constitutional rights of the least fortunate in society.
It wasn’t Brad, or Brauns, or Segars who attempted to place this within a Left/Right paradigm. It was you!
One suspects that if Christie had a (D) at the end of his name instead of an (R), we would not have heard one word from WingnutSteve.
WingnutSteve –
I think your comments here say much more about you, frankly, and the prism in which you see the world, than they do about me. If I was the “biased” “left wing blogger” as you contend, why would I write anything in support of Miller? Or in support of other such Republicans, or against so many Dems?
Where I rail against Republicans here (and Dems), it’s because they are corrupt. Not because because they are Republicans (or Dems). We support the impeachment and/or imprisonment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney because they were Constitution violating war criminals, not because they were Republicans.
It just so happens that your party has been long ago hijacked by the most extreme, most corrupt, most anti-American, most hypocritical bunch of corporatist elitists and scam artists ever allowed to grab that much power in this nation. So, yes, we call them out a lot. Where Democrats are similarly elitist, corporate scammers who put power and politics over people and the planet we similarly call them out for it, even if their behavior seems to be based more on cowardice than pure selfishness and evil, as displayed by the GOP.
These are not Right/Left paradigms, but Right/Wrong paradigms. And that you don’t see that, understand that, or appreciate that, as I mentioned, says much more about the shamefully warped way in which your brain has been twisted by very bad people who are very very happy for you to see the world exactly as they have suckered you into seeing it.
You are smart enough to rise above that, I suspect, or you wouldn’t be spending as much time here as you do. I hope you’ll, someday, overcome the scam that’s been played on you which is still keeping you from seeing the world as it is, rather than the way those very bad guys would like for you to see it.
I still say there’s nothing to support the claim that he’s “politicizing” the office as Ernie likes to say. Because he has an (R) next to his name is all that’s needed to claim he’s acting illegally, or that he’s a bully. Not one sentence in either of the stories offers any shred of proof whatsoever to support the claim, except the letter from a woman who’s losing her job.
One suspects that if Christie had a (D) at the end of his name instead of an (R), we would not have heard one word from Brad, or Ernie.