Christie’s Probe of Katz May Cause Him More Harm than Good

The conventional wisdom is that the recently announced federal probe into the dealings of former Corzine friend, Carla Katz, with the local CWA which she had led, will score United States Attorney Chris Christie political points with Republicans, Independents, and some anti-Corzine Democrats. Governor Corzine has been battling to keep emails between Katz and himself from becoming public and Katz is already under investigation by the national CWA for alleged improper conduct. Christie’s federal investigation promises more negative Katz headlines, more unfavorable publicity for the Governor, and positive publicity for Mr. Christie. However, Mr. Christie’s possible gubernatorial ambitions may actually be undermined by this probe.

Should Christie declare for Governor, it would be awkward indeed for a gubernatorial candidate to have been investigating the former girlfriend of the Governor he is trying to unseat. Should there be leaks of the investigation, particularly the leak of any salacious details regarding Ms. Katz, Christie will open himself up to attacks for inappropriately politicizing the Katz investigation for his own advantage. Should Christie be tough on Katz, he again leaves himself open to being portrayed as an opportunistic politician in the guise of a lawman. Conversely, should he facilitate a deal with her, it will also be seen as politically expedient to have investigated and punished the Governor’s former girlfriend prior to the gubernatorial campaign.

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Michael M. Shapiro, founder of ShapTalk.com, is an attorney who resides in New Providence, New Jersey. He currently serves as the Editor of The Alternative Press Contact Mike at mike@shaptalk.com