The transparency website got ahold of some of Phil Murphy's emails, and his Republican rival is delighted.
The Auditor keenly distrusts email, which is why it sends all its communiques by carrier pigeon. Not so Democratic 2017 governor candidate Phil Murphy, whose emails to Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta were on full display this week, thanks to Wikileaks.
Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive, had said in 2015 that he founded the non-profit New Start New Jersey as a public policy initiative "focused completely and utterly on strengthening New Jersey's middle class, and expanding it."
But then Wikileaks published a March 2014 email from Murphy to Podesta, in which the former U.S. ambassador described his political ambitions as "VERY serious but not yet committed" but that he would soon form a non-profit to amp up his name recognition tub-thump his readiness to replace Gov. Chris Christie.
That this was the purpose of New Start New Jersey all along was hardly a shock. Many politicians seeking high office do as much.
Ciattarellli vows to be different than Christie
Instead, the email disclosures were more interesting for what rival Republicans sought to do with them.
Almost immediately, another 2017 governor candidate, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarrelli (R-Somerset) seized on the Murphy's hacked emails, and held them up as proof of Murphy's insider, politics-as-usual approach.
In an email blast to media, Ciattarelli argued that New Start's status as a Murphy stalking horse was "the worst kept secret in New Jersey politics" and "embarrassing" in its brazenness.
"I chose not to go this direction because the only way to commence a campaign for Governor is by being honest and completely transparent with people," wrote Ciattarelli. "Anything short of that for any gubernatorial candidate sends exactly the wrong message at the worst possible time, particularly here in New Jersey."
Ciattarelli did not mention that another potential Republican candidate for governor, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in April launched Building a Better New Jersey Together Inc., a think tank that describes itself as seeking "smart and effective solutions to the challenges still facing New Jersey."
