Shucks, I just thought he was a crook

N.J. Governor Resigns, Admits Gay Affair:

In a stunning declaration, Gov. James E. McGreevey announced his resignation Thursday and acknowledged that he had an affair with another man. "My truth is that I am a gay American," he said with his wife by his side at a nationally televised news conference.

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

McGreevey, a Democrat, said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.

Let's all break out our crying towels! Spoons is even predicting that Andrew Sullivan will get out of the hammock!


But wait, there's more!

Two sources close to McGreevey, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man involved in the affair was Golan Cipel, an Israeli poet who worked briefly for the governor as a homeland security adviser despite having no security experience.

More on ole Golan and his spectacular lack of qualifications here including the fact that he used to work for McGreevey's chief fundraiser, Charles Kushner before McGreevey's election. And who's Kushner (first link)?:

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.

And what the heck, after Golan got booted from his gig securing the homeland, he ended up back with Kushner. Kevin McCullough, take it away (8/12, 5:01 PM):

SOME CLARITY: ABC 7 in New York is doing a completely one-sided form of reporting on the matter. They are playing reaction from supposedly "spontaneous" reactions from New Jerseyans. The problem is - they are only playing reaction that is all the same - "supportive" and "personal life has nothing to do with his job" type of reaction.

The only thing is - there is more to this.
...
It gets more interesting...Mr. Cipel, when he had resigned his post as New Jersey Homeland Security Director went to work for Charles Kushner who was formerly the chief fund raiser for McGreevey. Kushner was indicted 3 weeks ago on corruption charges in a case involving a New Jersey farm deal in which it is reported that McGreevey would speak in code with the owner of the farm to indicate his decision on which way he was leaning. The indictment stated that the Governor would use terms from Machiavelli. On three seperate occassions the feds wired up the farms owner and captured audio of McGreevey doing just that.

Mr. Kushner's indictment named Public Official one as being involved in the scandal but did not name McGreevey by name. What is unclear is...

Did Mr. Kushner - who already had a history of sending prostitutes to people as a way of entrapment and blackmail - decide to turn the sex wedge against McGreevey in exchange for the Governor refusing to pardon him in the federal investigation? Certainly with Cipel working with Kushner the idea and goods would have been known and discussed in terms of ways that kind of plot could be pulled off...

Kushner is also a heavy fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, and has even raised funds for John Kerry...

My, my. They certainly have fun in the land of Torricelli!

Oh yeah, McGreedy's resignation on November 15 prevents a special election where there might be some possibility that the Democrats would be tossed out of the statehouse before 2005.