November 20, 2007 - 12:47pm
Clinton camp chats with Hodes about Coniglio
By Wally EdgeThe Record’s Charles Stile reported today that federal agents searched the Paramus home of State Sen. Joseph Coniglio, the target of a federal criminal investigation. That will almost certainly create some chatter at Hillary Clinton’s national campaign headquarters, where a senior campaign official had a “conversation” in recent weeks about the Coniglio probe with lobbyist Harold Hodes, an advisor to the New Jersey Clinton campaign.
The Clinton campaign, sources say, wanted to hear from Hodes about his grand jury appearance, in response to a federal subpoena, regarding allegations that Coniglio obtained state funds for Hackensack University Medical Center while working as a paid consultant. At the time, Hodes’ firm, Public Strategies/Impact, was the HUMC lobbyist. The hospital received over $1 million in state grants while Coniglio was on their payroll.
While Coniglio has still not been indicted, maybe the Clinton camp is concerned about the possibility that Hodes could be testifying in a political corruption trial in the midst of a general election campaign against Rudy Giuliani, partly negating the value of Bernard Kerik’s trial – something that could happen around the same time?
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Slow news day? Wally, you actually expect us to believe the national media would follow Hodes testifying at a possible Coniglio trial? Kerick was Giuliani's guy - Hillary has never appointed Coniglio to anything or vouched for him as a "great choice" to head Homeland Security. Hodes testifying means nothing. And, by the way, half of Trenton would probably be testifying. Dozens have been called before this grand jury. Stop reprinting the same junk from the Clinton mal-contents and focus on real news or the Edge in Wally will soon come to mean "on the edge of nonsense."
I know this is NJ, but is it not news
when FBI agents come knocking on your door?
The fact agents would raid Coniglio's residence as well as his legislative office is news and would have had a negative effect on Bob Gordon's election had this happened two weeks ago.
Are you implying the Clinton campaign is not concerned that a senior advisor could be embroiled in a local scandal that can hurt her chances in the February 5th primary?
Get your head out of the clouds.