Gov. Phil Murphy says he has full faith in the state attorney general following the indictment of George Norcross, one of the most powerful men in New Jersey who is also an ally of the governor.
“Matt Platkin has my complete confidence, period,” Murphy told reporters Wednesday following an event in Newark.
Platkin, who was appointed attorney general by Murphy, announced Monday a sweeping criminal indictment of Norcross that charges the Democratic Party boss with racketeering, extortion and financial crimes. Platkin is using the state’s Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations act, or RICO, to charge Norcross and five others with coercing elected officials and private business people in a scheme to obtain land on the Camden waterfront.
The waterfront deal and the grip that George Norcross holds on local, county and state governments was described in the 2022 WNYC podcast, Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery.
At the center of the allegations is a state tax break program that was partly written by George Norcross’s brother, Phil, who was also indicted. The state legislation was sponsored, in part, by a third brother, Donald, who is now in Congress. The tax break program gave special benefits to businesses that moved to Camden, and $1.1 billion in tax breaks went to businesses connected in varying ways to George and Phil Norcross.
When Murphy first took office in 2018, he openly criticized the tax break program and established a task force to investigate it. But over the years, he has made his peace with Norcross and recently appeared at Norcross-sponsored fundraisers.
“I’ve raised money for Democrats up and down the state and all across this country, and I’ll continue to do so,” Murphy said. He declined to discuss the specifics of the case.
“The charges, the allegations, are very serious. They are deeply disturbing, let there be no doubt about that – period,” Murphy said. “As I said about Senator Menendez, as disturbing as the allegations might be, this is America. Folks are innocent until proven guilty, and that’s the way it should be.”
Sen. Bob Menendez is on trial on bribery and corruption charges that involve half a million dollars in cash, gold bars and a Mercedes Benz. He is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for help for the Egyptian government and three businessmen in New Jersey.
Murphy’s remarks came after a Juneteenth event at the St. James AME Church in Newark, where the governor signed an executive order that remakes the state’s clemency program. Instead of offering forgiveness to individuals in prison, the new policy will look at entire categories of people and rethink whether they were unfairly or too harshly sentenced.
The governor said he did not watch the live stream of the press conference announcing the Norcross indictment, and said he would not comment about the unusual attendance of George Norcross and a phalanx of lawyers. Norcross sat in the front row, and then verbally attacked the attorney general afterwards.
“I want to go to trial in two weeks. I want Matt Platkin to come down here and try this case himself because he’s a coward, because he has forced people in this building to implement his will,” Norcross told reporters outside the Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton.
Overall, the response among political leaders to the indictment has been lukewarm.
“We must always respect the rule of law and hold people accountable – whether you are a former President or a local elected official,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer said in a written statement which never mentions Norcross by name. “And we must also respect the legal process as it plays out. That is the American way.”
