Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Attorney General Zulima Farber resigns
Attorney General Zulima Farber resigned today, hours after a special prosecutor issued a report saying she violated the state's ethics code when she went to the aid of her boyfriend during a traffic stop earlier this year.

At a Trenton news conference this evening, Gov. Jon Corzine said he accepted Farbers resignation effective Aug. 31.

 

Corzine said Farber's decision "reflects her commitment to the best interests of the state and the high responsibilities of her office above personal considerations."

Farber is the first attorney general to resign under pressure in modern state history.

Corzine asked Farber to call it quits during a face-to-face meeting in his Newark office this morning, according to a state official and a senior Democratic official familiar with the meeting.

Corzine appointed Farber as the state's top law enforcement official.
But Corzine has made ethics a cornerstone of his administration, and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers today demanded her resignation.

Corzine last month appointed retired Appellate Division Judge Richard Williams to determine whether the attorney general sought or received favored treatment from Fairview police officers who had pulled over her boyfriend, Hamlet Goore, in the Bergen County municipality.

"Her conduct does raise significant ethical questions that must be addressed," Williams wrote in the 43-page report. "While there is evidence to establish that the attorney general was aware of, and acquiesced in, some of the favorable treatment received by Mr. Goore, I do not believe that conduct warrants criminal prosecution."

Williams concluded Farber violated the Department of Law and Public Safety's code of ethics by failing to avoid conduct that might reasonably appear to violate the public trust; by using her official position to receive unwarranted privileges for Goore; and by failing to make sure the state's laws were faithfully and fairly enforced.

In addition, Williams recommended Farber's state trooper driver and the two Fairview police officers be suspended from their jobs for 14 days without pay. He noted in the report that each officer has agreed not to contest the recommended discipline.

Contributed by Rick Hepp, Jeff Whelan and Josh Margolin
Updated at 6:15 p.m.

 

Attorney General Zulima Farber resigns

Attorney General Zulima Farber has told Gov. Jon Corzine she is resigning, two state officials with knowledge of her decision said.

Farber's decision came hours after Corzine asked her to call it quits because a special prosecutor determined she violated the state's ethics code, according to a state official and a senior Democratic official familiar with the meeting.

Farber is the first attorney general to resign under pressure in modern state history. Corzine was set to announce her resignation at a Statehouse news conference at 6 p.m.

Corzine met with Farber in a face-to-face meeting in his Newark office shortly after special prosecutor Richard Williams issued a report that said Farber broke ethics rules when she went to the aid of her boyfriend during a traffic stop earlier this year.

Corzine, who appointed Farber as the state's top law enforcement official, has made ethics a cornerstone of his administration, and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers today demanded her resignation.

State Sen. John Adler (D-Camden), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the report "damning."

"The public has made up their mind. Judge Williams' report confirms what we already know. Zulima Farber must resign. The Office of the Attorney General cannot rebound from ethics violations with her at the helm. We need an Attorney General who is above reproach," he said. "I pray that she does not put her personal interest ahead of the public interest."

State Sen. Tom Kean, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee, also called for Farber's resignation and noted that his opponent, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, has been one of her key allies. But late this afternoon, Menendez issued a statement calling on her to "act according to the best interests of the state."

"The special prosecutor’s report concludes that while the Attorney General did not break the law, she did violate the state’s code of ethics," Menendez said. "The public has a right to expect that government officials uphold the highest standards of integrity, and these offenses are serious. A cabinet member can only perform the duties of their office if they have the full confidence of the governor and the public. I hope the Attorney General will act according to the best interests of the state.”

Corzine appointed Williams, a retired Appellate Division judge, on July 5 to determine whether the attorney general sought or received favored treatment from Fairview police officers who had pulled over her boyfriend, Hamlet Goore, in the Bergen County municipality.

"Her conduct does raise significant ethical questions that must be addressed," Williams wrote in the 43-page report. "While there is evidence to establish that the attorney general was aware of, and acquiesced in, some of the favorable treatment received by Mr. Goore, I do not believe that conduct warrants criminal prosecution."

Williams concluded Farber violated the Department of Law and Public Safety's code of ethics by failing to avoid conduct that might reasonably appear to violate the public trust; by using her official position to receive unwarranted privileges for Goore; and by failing to make sure the state's laws were faithfully and fairly enforced.

In addition, Williams recommended Farber's state trooper driver and the two Fairview police officers be suspended from their jobs for 14 days without pay. He noted in the report that each officer has agreed not to contest the recommended discipline.

Farber has said she realized afterward that it was not appropriate for her to go to the scene of the traffic stop in her state-issued SUV driven by her State Police driver. But she denied asking for favors or telling her driver, State Police Lt. George Justin, to fix the situation.

“As I see this episode take on a life of its own, it occurred to me, because it has been pointed out, that my mere presence was inappropriate and I accept responsibility for that,” Farber said in a television interview last month. “I asked for no favors. I wanted no favors. All I was doing was ... going to the aid of the man with whom I share my life.”

Contributed by Rick Hepp, Jeff Whelan and Josh Margolin
Updated at 5:15 p.m.