Menendez Sex and Ethics Scandal Widens

Daily Caller says FBI is investigating NJ Senator for exploiting underage Dominican prostitutes, ABC News covering up scandal

Senator Bob Menendez should be kicking back and celebrating his accomplishments this weekend.  He took over the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just in time to preside over Hillary Clinton’s high profile testimony regarding the September 11 attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya and he scored a 51% approval rating among New Jersey voters in a Quinnipiac poll this week.

But the stories about Menendez’s inappropriate foreign relations in the Dominican Republic just won’t go away.

Early this morning Daily Caller, the conservative website that last October broke the story about Menendez stiffing Dominican prostitutes, posted a story reporting that the FBI opened an investigation into the Senator for victimising underage Domincan girls, in exchange for money, last August.

DC links to documents indicating that ABC News Senior Investigative Producer Rhoda Schwartz was on to Menendez’s exploits last May and that Citizens for Responsibilty and Ethics in Washington (CREW) was alerted to Menendez’s foreign pay to play last April.

New Jersey’s mainstream media has ignored the story because it is considered “thin,” according to one reporter and becauses “nobody cares and we’re too busy” according to another.

USNews reported in November that the story “wouldn’t stick”, in part, because it involved a Democrat.

“You would see a little more digging if he were a Republican. It is the slightest of the factors, but it is still a factor,”

State Senator Sam Thompson, in his capacity as chairman of the Middlesex GOP, wrote to the Senate Ethics Committee in November asking that they investigate Menendez.  So far, there has been no investigation reported.

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Governor Christie Outlines Regulations to Allow Residents and Businesses to Rebuild Faster, Stronger and Safer from Hurricane Sandy

Standards Will Ensure Lower Premiums In The Long Term, Protecting Residents From Out Of Control Costs

Trenton, NJ – Taking action to give New Jersey families, businesses and local governments the best available guidance to quickly and more durably rebuild from Hurricane Sandy, Governor Chris Christie today signed emergency regulations to adopt the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) updated Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFEs) maps as the rebuilding standard for the entire state. These regulations establish requirements and more efficient procedures for residents and businesses to construct, reconstruct, relocate and elevate buildings and other structures in flood hazard areas. 

  Read the rest of this entry »

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Congressman Chris Smith Debunks Hillary Clinton’s Claim That A Lack Of Funding Caused Benghazi Deaths

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BECK SEEKS TO GIVE DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND INSURANCE OVERSIGHT ROLE IN FLOOD INSURANCE CLAIMS

NEW BILL WOULD HOLD INSURERS ACCOUNTABLE TO NJ STANDARDS

Senator Jennifer Beck has introduced legislation that clarifies the Department of Banking Insurance’s jurisdiction over the processing of certain flood insurance claims. The bill specifies that though flood insurance is administered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) the actual claims process must adhere to New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) laws and regulations.  In most cases in New Jersey, the NFIP flood insurance itself is purchased from New Jersey-based private insurance companies who participate in FEMA’s “Write Your Own” program.  Additionally, those same New Jersey-based insurers are often administering the claims.

 “In the wake of Sandy, we have been deluged with complaints about unresponsive and misleading flood insurance representatives” Beck explained. “While the NFIP is a federal program, I want to clarify that licensed New Jersey flood insurance companies must still comply with our consumer protection laws when processing our residents’ flood claims.  This is the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance jurisdiction and they must be able to protect our residents from bad actors.”

Senate Bill 2505 extends DOBI’s current authority to investigate and punish insurers who engage in unfair methods of competition or unfair and deceptive acts. The bill applies to specifically to New Jersey licensed insurers that process flood insurance claims under FEMA’s “Write Your Own” flood insurance program.

“Thousands of NJ residents have lost their homes and belongings and rebuilding cannot be stalled by flood insurers dragging their feet on legitimate claims.  Our residents are desperate to move forward with recovery efforts and time after time I am hearing that flood insurers are the obstacle,” said Beck.  “This legislation gives New Jersey’s DOBI enforcement power over the flood claims process in this State.  Once passed, DOBI’s Division of Insurance will enforce all New Jersey law, regulations and policies and have the legal authority to protect our residents from insurers that are non-complaint.”

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Hillary Clinton Testifies Before House Foreign Affairs Committee

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the September 11th attack on Benghazi this afternoon.

Monmouth County Congressman Chris Smith is a member of the committee.

Watch the hearing here.

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O’SCANLON ADVISES SANDY AFFECTED HOMEOWNERS TO CONSIDER HOLDING OFF ON CERTAIN MITIGATION WORK

Owners may want to delay elevating houses until FEMA  grants are announced

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon today advised  homeowners affected by Sandy that they may want to hold off on  mitigation repairs until the specifics of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program  (“HMGP”) are announced. The HMGP  provides grants to States and local governments to implement long-term hazard  mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The program enables  mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a  disaster.

“These grants can help fund elevating houses  and other, expensive mitigation work,” explained O’Scanlon. “Once the state  advertises that HMGP funding is available for mitigation projects in the state,  those interested in applying to the HMGP should contact their local government  to begin the application process. Local governments should then contact their  State Hazard Mitigation Officer so the needs of each town can be  assessed.

HMGP funds may be used to fund projects that  will reduce or eliminate the losses from future disasters. Projects must provide  a long-term solution to a problem, for example, elevation of a home to reduce  the risk of flood damages. In addition, a project’s potential savings must be  more than the cost of implementing the  project

“HMGP grants can fund up to 75% of a total  project,” O’Scanlon told. “Homeowners need to seriously think before shelling  out a lot of money to elevate their homes. If they can wait, these grants may be  a great way to offset the costs of expensive mitigation work. While not everyone  is approved for a grant, it looks like New Jersey may be receiving a sizeable amount  of aid from the Sandy Aid Package. It only makes sense for homeowners to  consider these grants as a possible source of assistance when planning expensive  home repairs.”

For more information on the HMGP, you can visit http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program.

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Bipartisanship

Editorial cartoons are sponsored by New Markets Realty, 146 Maple Ave, Red Bank. 732-741-8211. Jim Giannell, President

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Quinnipiac Poll: 74% approve of Christie. 68% says he deserves reelection

A Quinnipiac poll released this morning shows Governor Chris Christie’s sky high approval ratings are continuing to rise.

79% of New Jersey voters, including 70% of Republicans, approve of the verbal lashing Christie gave to House Speaker John Boehner and the Republican House over the delay in emergency funding for the Hurricane Sandy recovery. Voters approve of the overall job that Christie is doing my a measure of  74%-21%.  94% approve of Christie’s overall response to Hurricane Sandy.

But, if the election was held today, Christie’s down ballot coattails would be weak.  By 48%-39%, New Jersey voters want the Democratic Party to retain control of the State Legislature, despite the Legislature’s weak approval ratings.

Only 40% approve of the job the State Senate is doing.  37% approve of the Assembly’s performance.

30% approve of Senate President Steve Sweeney’s performance, 25% disapprove and 45% don’t know enough to say.  Only 21% approve of Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver’s performance, 18% disapprove and 61% don’t know enough to say.

In the race, or lack thereof, for the Democratic nomination for governor, former Acting Governor Richard Codey would easily win a primary over Senator Barbara Buono, the only declared candidate.  Despite Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s strong support, Buono would only receive 10% of primary votes.  Sweeney also gets 10%, but Codey gets 28%.  45% don’t know how they would vote.

Christie easily beats all Democratic challengers, 2-1 or better. Christie gets 35% of the Democratic vote.

In the 2014 race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator, Newark Mayor Cory Booker returns the spanking by beating Senator Frank Lautenberg 51%-30%.  Most voters like the job that Lautenberg is doing, but think he is too old.

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Lautenberg suggests Booker needs a spanking

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg suggested to the Philadephia Inquirer that Newark Mayor Cory Booker should be spanked for the disrespect he has shown to his elder by trying to push the senator out of office.

Booker has already formed a 2014 campaign committee, prompting anonymous Lautenberg aides to rip the mayor to Politico, accusing him of being “disrespectful.” I asked Lautenberg about that characterization this afternoon.

“I have four children, I love each one of them. I can’t tell you that one of them wasn’t occasionally disrespectful, so I gave them a spanking and everything was OK,” Lautenberg said with a smile in his first public comments since Booker announced he was considering a run for Senate.

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Bayshore Tea Party Considering Incumbent Challenges

By Art Gallagher

The Bayshore Tea Party Group has started the process of evaluating incumbent Republican office holders with an eye towards possible nominating challenges, according to the group’s co-founder Barbara Gonzalez.

“We’re very angry at Republicans,” Gonzalez said in a phone interview with MoreMonmouthMusings, “but we’re not going to primary someone just for the sake of it. We have committees meeting to evaluate office holders’ records and postions.  Many conservatives, not just the Tea Party feel we have no representation.”

Under the Party By-Laws passed by Monmouth GOP Chairman John Bennett last September, there is a new process by which incumbents on the County and State level can be challenged at nominating conventions.  Gonzalez, who is also a member of the Monmouth GOP Board of Directors due to a provision in the new By-Laws, would not rule out challenges at the convention or in a primary should convention challenges fail.

The Monmouth GOP convention is scheduled for March 23, 8:30 A.M. at Colts Neck High School.

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