April 21, 2005 Schundler Calls for Investigation of John Kerry
NJ Secretary of State's testimony indicates clear violation of federal law by former Democratic Presidential nominee
(MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ) -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler -- responding to news reports indicating that then-Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry violated federal law -- this morning called on U.S. Attorney Chris Christie immediately to open an investigation into the allegations. Below is the text of the letter:
Dear United States Attorney Christie,
Yesterday, the Newark Star-Ledger carried an article about New Jersey Secretary of State Regena Thomas entitled, "Budget panel calls official to account: Thomas, seeking $46 million, finds herself defending post," in which appeared the following passage:
Thomas also took unpaid leave in October -- dipping into a pension plan to cover her living expenses -- to work on the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry. She said she worked without pay because "I had a commitment from the candidate for a position that I wanted in the federal government."
Asked after the hearing if Kerry had promised to appoint her U.S. ambassador to Haiti, as a campaign colleague had told The Star-Ledger, Thomas refused to confirm or deny it. "I'm not saying," she said.
As you know, it is a violation of federal law for a candidate for federal office to promise a position in the federal government to anyone in exchange for working on that candidate's campaign. Specifically,
18 U.S.C. 600: Promise of Employment or Other Benefit for Political Activity No one can directly or indirectly promise employment, a raise in pay, a contract, a grant, or other government benefit as an enticement to, or reward for, political activity to be rendered in the future, in connection with any election, convention, or caucus.
Based on Ms. Thomas's own reported statement -- "I had a commitment from the candidate for a position that I wanted in the federal government" -- it seems clear that she has admitted direct knowledge of a violation of the U.S. Code by then-Presidential candidate John Kerry.
Ms. Thomas is no stranger to political campaigns. Her official biography on the New Jersey Secretary of State's web site -- located at http://www.state.nj.us/state/secretary/bios/secbio.html - indicates a long career at the highest level of politics at both the statewide and national levels. It strains credulity to believe that she did not know that it is illegal to promise federal employment as an enticement to, or as a reward for, political activity.
Accordingly, I request that you immediately open an investigation into this matter, to determine whether, in fact, U.S. Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States, broke the law.
Respectfully,
Bret D. Schundler
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Paid for by Schundler for Governor
www.bret2005.com
