New N.J. attorney general confirmed
The state Senate confirmed Christopher Porrino as New Jersey's attorney general Monday. Gov. Christie had nominated him in June.
The state Senate confirmed Christopher Porrino as New Jersey's attorney general Monday. Gov. Christie had nominated him in June.
After a hearing that touched on Porrino's role in the Bridgegate investigation and the controversial multimillion-dollar environmental settlement with ExxonMobil, the Judiciary Committee recommended his approval. The full Senate then voted, 37-0, to confirm him.
Porrino was Christie's chief counsel from Jan. 8, 2014, the day the George Washington Bridge lane-closing controversy broke, until July 2015, when he returned to private practice. Christie last month tapped him to become acting attorney general after the former acting attorney general, Robert Lougy, was named a judge.
"Nothing compared to the honor of working for the people of New Jersey," Porrino said when the committee's chairman, Nicholas Scutari (D., Union), asked why he decided to return to public service after leading a 100-lawyer team at Lowenstein Sandler, a top law firm in New Jersey. "The opportunity that this office has to make a difference is unparalleled in my view."
Porrino, of Summit, said that as Christie's legal adviser, he spent hours discussing the Bridgegate allegations with the governor's staff and that he ultimately was asked to dismiss Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff. In 2013 she sent an email saying "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" as part of an alleged conspiracy to order lane closings to punish Fort Lee's mayor for not supporting Christie's reelection.
Porrino would not provide details of those discussions, saying he did not want to jeopardize the federal corruption trial of Kelly and codefendant Bill Baroni, a former official of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is to begin next month.
On Sunday, Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D., Union) said he would not support Porrino's nomination unless Porrino agreed to audit the $10 million bill submitted by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, a law firm hired by Christie to investigate Bridgegate. The attorney general reviews such bills, and this one had been reviewed by Porrino's predecessor.
On Monday, Lesniak said that he had learned the bill is now available and that he would order a legislative audit because a federal judge had found problems with the bill. Lesniak also said he would vote for Porrino's appointment.
"We all know that you are qualified," Lesniak said, noting reports of Porrino's "integrity and independence." The New Jersey State Bar Association, former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Peter Verniero, former Gov. Jim McGreevey, and former U.S. Sen. Jeffrey S. Chiesa were among those who supported Porrino's nomination.
Sen. Nia H. Gill (D., Essex) abstained from the vote, saying she did not question Porrino's credentials but wanted to wait until after the Bridgegate trial to confirm him. "Because of your intimate involvement as chief counsel, we owe it to the state not to foster any appearance of a conflict of interest that would potentially erode the integrity of the office of attorney general . . . or create a system that appears to be rigged or controlled by one executive," she said.
Gill also criticized Christie for nominating only acting attorneys general previously during the last three years. They have all served at his pleasure without going through Senate confirmation. She asked why Christie would then nominate his former chief counsel, who was "involved in the investigation of Bridgegate" and who she said would be unable to answer any questions about the probe during the hearing due to the upcoming trial. "Let's come back when you feel you can answer our questions without in any way influencing the pending litigation," she said.
Other lawmakers also have criticized Christie's not formally nominating the last two acting attorneys general and said the job requires independence from the governor.
The last attorney general to be confirmed by the Senate was Chiesa, whom Christie later named to fill the seat left vacant by Sen. Frank Lautenberg's death in 2013.
Porrino, a graduate of Seton Hall University Law School, had worked as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson. In 2012, he was director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General's Office, overseeing 500 lawyers.
Christie has called Porrino's service "invaluable" and said he had delivered results for New Jersey residents. He also said Porrino provided him with "great wisdom through some really challenging times."
Porrino would not answer questions about the environmental settlement between the state and ExxonMobil, noting that the agreement was being appealed. Porrino also promised to improve the way legal bills are reviewed and to look into whether the state should file new lawsuits to recover money spent for environmental cleanups.
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