Christie, Palatucci, & Jersey

Bill Palatucci, friend of NJ Gov. Chris Christie, left Community Education Centers for the law firm of Gibbons, PC. (For details click here or here.)

Community Education Centers, CEC, calls itself "A leading provider of offender reentry" is the company to which New Jersey has outsourced halfway houses.

It is also the company that allows felons to - in words Mitt Romney might use - "Self-Parole" and "Self-Pardon" - to walk away at will. The New York Times covered this at length. The Times, not known for sensationalist reporting, described Community Education Centers half-way houses as places where "bedlam" reigns (here).

Palatucci said that his resignation from CEC had nothing to do with Governor Christie's re-election campaign. He also said that he wants to have time to work on Republican campaigns in 2013.

If Gov. Christie runs his campaign the way Community Education Centers runs their half-way houses I expect Mr. Christie to lose his re-election campaign.

Mr. Palatucci and Mr. Christie go back a long way. Back in 1987 Christie joined the law firm of Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci. In '93 he was named a partner in the firm. In '98 he registered as a lobbyist for the firm. Between 1999 and 2001, Christie and Palatucci lobbied on behalf of GPU Energy for deregulation of New Jersey's electric and gas industry; the Securities Industry Association to block the inclusion of securities fraud under the state's Consumer Fraud Act; Hackensack University Medical Center for state grants, and the University of Phoenix for a New Jersey higher education license. in 2000, Christie and Palatucci worked as fundraisers for George W. Bush.