THE SENTINEL: Spotlight On: Christopher J. Christie, U.S. Attorney

Christopher J. Christie is serving his second four-year term as the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. Known to be as dedicated, vigilant, and aggressively anti-corruption as seen in the state for many years, Mr. Christie's track record is extraordinary.

Christie has earned recognition for cracking down on corrupt politicians and prosecuting nearly 100 political figures of various rank and party affiliation. His team has taken on major corporations such as Bristol Myers Squibb and educational institutions such as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, investigating instances of alleged embezzlement and falsification of documents.

Fighting political and corporate corruption has earned Christie the title of the 2006 New Jersey Law Journal Lawyer of the Year.

Fairleigh Dickinson University Presentation

On Thursday, February 22, 2007, over 200 individuals attended Mr. Christie's presentation Political Corruption and the Fight Against Terror at an event organized by the Anthony J. Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies, School of Administrative Science of Fairleigh Dickinson University. He spoke eloquently about the current culture of terrorism and corruption while offering insights into remedies for this crisis:

The positive collaboration between various law enforcement agencies in the war against terror, especially with the local partnerships in New Jersey and the improved communication between the FBI and the CIA due to the Patriot Act.
Understanding that Islamic extremism is a threat to our way of life from without and corruption is a threat to our way of life from within.
The scandalous behavior of corrupt politicians who unscrupulously take the oath of office "under the authority of the people" — reflecting the greatness of the American Experiment and the words of the Constitution "We the people" — yet within a short period of time betray public service for self service.
Politicians who cheat should be voted out of office by "We the people." Laws can assist society but the power of the people deserves to stand up against corruption through the ballot box. Voting against unjust politicians who do not keep promises and lack integrity is critical. Politicians ask to be trusted during election campaigns — when they fall short of the virtue of trust they must be removed from office by the people.
Be convinced of the power of your presence as a citizen; Hold your elected officials accountable by your presence at community meetings; Corruption is an abuse of a power issue in politics and not relegated to a particular party.
Youth need to be inspired to serve as public officials and the example to motivate them to serve is lacking. We must counter the rotting of American society by rebuilding the hope, faith and trust of our youth — especially in our schools.
In the last New Jersey gubernatorial race, cynicism reigned as Corzine and Forrester spent $100 million in casting aspersions toward each other. Only 46% of registered voters went to the polls compared to the 1993 campaign of Florio and Whitman where 69% voted... a 23% decline in 12 years due to cynicism.
New Jersey deserves to be known for more than corruption and the Sopranos. It is time for the people to take back their state by demanding a standard of integrity and appreciating their power to vote corruption out of office.

Mr. Christie's call for an involved and committed electorate echoes the words of Thomas Jefferson:

"The most effectual means of preventing [the perversion of power into tyranny are] to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them knowledge of those facts which history exhibits, that possessed thereby of the experience of other ages and countries, they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes."