As I've been searching for all the latest news this morning I ran across charges from ex-New Jersey prosecutor Bennett Barlyn claiming he was fired, last year, in what he alleges is a pattern of behavior of "abuse of power" by Christie appointees in The Daily Mail. The Mail is claiming an exclusive "Prosecutor sacked for bringing case against Christie cronies reveals ordeal at hands of New Jersey Governor's 'mafia'."
Bennett Barlyn, who was a prosecutor in New Jersey for 18 years says he successfully obtained grand jury indictments "against Deborah Trout, a country sheriff loyal to Republicans.
She was accused of gross violations that included hiring staff without vetting them, supplying a Christie donor with a false law enforcement ID and forcing underlings to sign loyalty oaths. ...
When the charges became public, an indicted undersheriff, Michael Russo, allegedly told an aide that Christie will 'have this whole thing thrown out', according to The Hunterdon County Democrat. Another Sheriff's Officer Joseph Falat Jr, was also accused.
The day a judge unsealed the indictments, Dermot O'Grady, Christie's deputy attorney general, arrived suddenly to take over the prosecutor's office personally.
Barlyn was shown the door. He was stripped of his job and ushered out of the courthouse by armed guards.
A judge is schedule to rule on January 28 on whether to release the transcripts from the grand jury indictment that Barlyn claims will prove his case.
‘The day the indictments were unsealed the Attorney General’s office kicked out a prosecutor and took over our office,’ Barlyn said, claiming all the evidence in the case was removed from his county and locked up in Trenton, the capital city of New Jersey.
Barlyn claims Attorney General Paula Dow, who served with the governor when he was the state's top federal prosecutor, acted on Christie's orders to install O'Grady in his place.
The Mall reports that Christie spokesperson Michael Drewniak, laughed off these accusations last year when they first surface. Perhaps, now with an apparent pattern of behavior emerging this case will get a second look.
If many more of these additional cases keep coming out more people may start having doubts that Governor Christie was just an unlucky innocent who became surrounded by several dozen political thugs by accident and without his knowledge. No wonder Governor Christie sad he was such a sad fellow in his last press conference.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...
2:16 PM PT: Thanks to Mokurai for bringing us this additional links on this story:
New York Times
The Quashing of a Case Against a Christie Ally
NJ.com
Report: Grand jurors back former Hunterdon prosecutor on case against Christie supporter
Ex-Hunterdon County prosecutor compares firing with bridge scandal, report says
NorthJersey.com
Cries of politics over AG's role in probe present new challenge for Christie
Even (oog) Breitbart
Prosecutor Claims He Was Fired in 'Mafia-Like' Way for Indicting Christie Allies