BREAKING NEWS: NJ Governor admits he is gay, to resign in November

[NYCdog]

More news as it comes in........

EDIT....

N.J. Governor Resigns, Admits He Is Gay

By JOHN P. McALPIN
Associated Press Writer

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- In a stunning declaration, Gov. James E. McGreevey acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair with another man and announced his resignation Thursday. "My truth is that I am a gay American," he said.

"Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony," the married father of two said. "It was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable."

The Democrat said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.

McGreevey said he would step down because his secret - both his sexuality and his affair - leaves the governor's office vulnerable.

The former suburban mayor took office 2 1/2 years ago, and despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans, instead raising taxes on millionaires, casinos and cigarettes.

But he has been dogged by several scandals involving fund-raising.

Among those caught up in recent scandals were his first chief of staff and former counsel; a top Democratic fund-raiser and former high school classmate; and real estate developer Charles Kushner, McGreevey's biggest campaign contributor, who was charged with trying to thwart a federal campaign-finance investigation by luring a grand jury witness - his own brother-in-law - into a compromising position with a prostitute and sending video and photos to the man's wife.

McGreevey would be the second governor to resign in weeks, following the resignation in June of Connecticut GOP Gov. John Rowland amid corruption investigations and threats of impeachment.

McGreevey rose from suburban mayor to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, maintaining a power base days after he narrowly lost to Republican Christie Whitman in 1997.

McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.

Born in Jersey City, McGreevey graduated from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University a year later.

After briefly serving as a county prosecutor, McGreevey became a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company, then a state government official. While in the Legislature, McGreevey voted for Gov. Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax hike that prompted a voter rebellion against Democrats.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[FishForLunch]

What is it with these politicans wives. Does she really support her husband's extra-marital affair with a man?

[dude1394]

Maybe she's gay as well.

[Mavdog]

would that qualify as a gay marriage?

[dude1394]

yes... and THAT one I can support. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Mavdog]

oh, so if they are gay but still a man and a woman then it's OK?

That's upholding the ficticious "sanctity" of marriage all right...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[madape]

I'm sickened by this story. This piece of shit met a man he thought was cute on a business trip to Israel. He started up a gay extra-marital affair with him, and upon returning to the states, gave him a homeland security position for which the man was not in the least bit qualified. In other words, McGreevey compromised his state's national security so that he could get sucked off every day by a man he was smitten by, behind his wife's back no less. Only now that he's threatened with a multi million dollar lawsuit and the prospect of a humiliating public smearing campaign does he finally come forward... not with an apology, but with pathetic pleas for sympathy.

I've been seeing nothing but a media love fest all day for this mother fucker. In my opinion, he is the most vile human in politics today. Not because he's gay, but because his priorities start at the end of his dick and don't run much deeper than his boyfriend's rectum.

Do you want to know Clinton's legacy on America? This is it. 90% of them are ethically bankrupt, self serving, morally deprived career polititions. How can anyone think the country needs leaders like these?

[Usually Lurkin]

when I run for public office, I want madape to be my head speach writer.

on second thought. It would probably be most fun to run as a member of the madapes party.

[LRB]

Originally posted by: Usually Lurkin
when I run for public office, I want madape to be my head speach writer.

LOL. You'll only be able to run your speaches late at night on cable. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally posted by: LRB

LOL. You'll only be able to run your speaches late at night on cable. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

officially, the party would be the madapes.
But we'd have to be nicknamed the bleeping party.

[LRB]

N.J. Governor's Resignation Scrutinized

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Republicans questioned Friday the timing of Gov. James E. McGreevey's (search) planned departure following a bombshell announcement while more details emerged about what is forcing the one-time rising Democratic star out of office.

McGreevey stunned his state and the nation Thursday when he said he would leave office Nov. 15 because he had carried on an extramarital homosexual affair.

On Thursday, McGreevey's office contacted the FBI about alleged extortion attempts by his former lover, Golan Cipel (search), sources told FOX News. The governor's office alleged that Cipel had said he would get rid of a threatened sexual harassment lawsuit for $5 million.

Cipel could not immediately be reached for comment.

Cipel, an Israeli poet, was once employed in the governor's office at salary of $110,000 a year. He was a subject of controversy because although he was designated a homeland security adviser, as a foreign citizen, he could not obtain a federal security clearance. McGreevey later reassigned him to a "special counsel" position, which had no specific duties.

According to a source close to the situation, the FBI already had been investigating McGreevey for alleged corruption, including allegations that he had attempted to obtain money to pay off his former lover.


McGreevey said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15. Senate President Richard J. Codey, a Democrat, will become acting governor and serve out the remainder of McGreevey's term, which ends in early 2006. If McGreevey were to leave office before Nov. 15, a special election would be held.

"My truth is that I am a gay American," McGreevey, a Roman Catholic, said at the Thursday news conference. With his second wife by his side, he described decades of sexual confusion that dogged him through two marriages and ultimately led him to an act he called "wrong, foolish and inexcusable."

"Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign," he said, without elaborating on what the circumstances were.

McGreevey, 47, refused to answer questions. He said "it makes little difference that as governor I am gay," but added that staying in office and keeping the affair and his sexual orientation secret will leave the governor's office "vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure."

Former Republican Gov. Christie Whitman (search) said McGreevey "made a courageous decision" but criticized his plan to wait until Nov. 15 to leave office, saying it "smacks of politics." She said it "would be in the best interests of the state" for the governor to step down immediately.

New Jersey Republicans will air these concerns further at a press conference in Trenton at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Friday.

Although the timing would seem to benefit the Democrats, Chuck Todd, editor in chief of National Journal's Hotline (search), said Republicans would be hard-pressed to win a rushed special election.

"It's not clear how the Republicans could win this race either way. I actually think they're better off criticizing and hoping that McGreevey sticks to the original plan," Todd said. He added that if an election were held this November, Sen. Jon Corzine, a Democrat who is expected to run for the office in 2005, would be the clear frontrunner because of his statewide name recognition and personal fortune.

Similarly, Newsweek contributing editor Eleanor Clift said, "The Republicans are probably better off waiting because they don’t have a strong candidate right now."

Across New Jersey, people listened to their radios or gathered around TV sets to listen to McGreevey's live news conference. Many were left in shock, although rumors had been circulating for several years that McGreevey was gay.

"It's a shame," said Jim Nerney, 48, of Middletown. "He brought a lot of passion to the governor's office, but the fact is that it's not accepted in today's society and he's paying the consequences."

"His sexual orientation doesn't matter to me. I feel he's done a good job, holding the line on taxes," said Donald Bowman, 52, of Kearny, a school district worker in Newark.

Gay rights groups expressed support and compassion for McGreevey, but their reactions were tinged with sorrow because McGreevey announced his resignation just as he became the nation's first openly gay governor.

"It is a very sad to thing to watch. It is kind of stunning, sad to me that in 2004 people are still having to struggle because of homophobia in society to come to terms with who they are," said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal.

Fox News' Peter Brownfeld and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: madape
I'm sickened by this story. This piece of shit met a man he thought was cute on a business trip to Israel. He started up a gay extra-marital affair with him, and upon returning to the states, gave him a homeland security position for which the man was not in the least bit qualified. In other words, McGreevey compromised his state's national security so that he could get sucked off every day by a man he was smitten by, behind his wife's back no less. Only now that he's threatened with a multi million dollar lawsuit and the prospect of a humiliating public smearing campaign does he finally come forward... not with an apology, but with pathetic pleas for sympathy.

I've been seeing nothing but a media love fest all day for this mother fucker. In my opinion, he is the most vile human in politics today. Not because he's gay, but because his priorities start at the end of his dick and don't run much deeper than his boyfriend's rectum.

Do you want to know Clinton's legacy on America? This is it. 90% of them are ethically bankrupt, self serving, morally deprived career polititions. How can anyone think the country needs leaders like these?

Damn straight.

[sturm und drang]

If we didn't codify homosexuals as second-class citizens, shit like this wouldn't need to happen.

[chumdawg]

If homosexuals had a little more respect for monogamy, they just might not be codified as such after all.

[LRB]

Originally posted by: sturm und drang
If we didn't codify homosexuals as second-class citizens, shit like this wouldn't need to happen.

WTH??? The real story is not that the govenor is gay. It's that apparently he has been misappropriating state funds illegally. If this former lover was a woman and not a man and he gave her a six figure job that she wasn't qualified for just for the sex he would be in just as much crap. In fact he wouldn't have the excuse, don't hate me just because I'm gay. Furthermore it appears as if he may have tried to illegally divert a much larger sum of money to this former lover. Let's just throw out the extramarital affair as well. Say that this was his wife who he gave a high paying job that she wasn't qualified for and then tried to illegally divert a large amount of funds to her as well. That would be a huge story. The crux of the story is about graft and corruption, not about the govenor being gay. The gay part is only a red herring to divert attention from his criminal activities.

[sturm und drang]

Originally posted by: chumdawg
If homosexuals had a little more respect for monogamy, they just might not be codified as such after all.

What? Are you saying homosexuals are less monogamous than heterosexuals? Have you ever in your life met a lesbian? Clearly not.

Before making such an informed statement, maybe you should just think – just for one little second – how an inability to marry would effect heterosexual monogamy.

Nice stereotyping, by the way. You should be proud.

[knowitall]

Hey, Madape, stop holding out! Tell us how you really feel.

LBR. "Me thinks you duth protest to much"

[LRB]

Originally posted by: knowitall
Hey, Madape, stop holding out! Tell us how you really feel.

LBR. "Me thinks you duth protest to much"

WTH is LBR???

[knowitall]

Sorry buddy. My mistake.

[chumdawg]

Originally posted by: sturm und drang

What? Are you saying homosexuals are less monogamous than heterosexuals? Have you ever in your life met a lesbian? Clearly not.

Before making such an informed statement, maybe you should just think – just for one little second – how an inability to marry would effect heterosexual monogamy.

Nice stereotyping, by the way. You should be proud.

I wasn't talking about lesbians. And neither were you.

[sturm und drang]

I'm sure Rosie will be very upset to find out that you don't consider lesbians to be homosexuals.

[Pongo]

Originally posted by: sturm und drang
I'm sure Rosie will be very upset to find out that you don't consider lesbians to be homosexuals.

LOL,
hilarious