Hudson County and New Jersey is finally on the map !

They were probably comparing notes on machine politics.

Blagojevich's latest: Menendez testimony can help clear me

Wednesday, February 04, 2009
By KEN THORBOURNE
NIGHT CITY EDITOR

Impeached former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich now wants a favorite son of Hudson County to help prove he's not a crook.

During an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" yesterday morning, Blagojevich named U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, of Hoboken, as one of the people he spoke to about naming a Senate replacement for President Barack Obama, and said he'd want Menendez to testify at his anticipated corruption trial.

"I want everybody and anybody that I talked to about the Senate seat to tell the truth and to say it under oath," Blagojevich said to Today Show host Meredith Vieira.

"And that includes U.S. senators like Dick Durbin and Harry Reid and Sen. Menendez, like former Congressman Rahm Emanuel, like everybody named in the criminal complaint that were involved in conversations with me," he added.

"And when the whole context is heard, I think you'll see a whole different situation that took place," Blagojevich said.

J.B. Poersch, executive director of the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, confirmed last night that Menendez spoke to Blagojevich in his capacity as chair of the DSCC, a position Menendez assumed in December.

"He (Menendez) had a conversation with him (Blagojevich) some time ago that was perfunctory and professional," Poersch said. "He discussed the need for the governor to pick a good candidate (to replace Barack Obama) as well as a good senator and discussed no names.

"It's common for committee chairs to talk to governors around the country when they are charged with this responsibility of naming a new senator," Poersch added.

As for Menendez testifying at Blagojevich's anticipated trial, Poersch said, "We're not aware of any legal call or request for him (Menendez) to testify or comment legally. Given that, we won't speculate."

Menendez is a former mayor of Union City and chair of the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

Blagojevich was arrested in December on corruption charges that included trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. Last month, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to impeach Blagojevich. The Illinois state Senate later voted 59-0 to remove him from office and bar him from ever holding public office in the state again.