Ciattarelli Statement on Explosive Watchdog Report of
Steinhardt Pay-to-Play Practices

Small-businessman and Republican candidate for Governor Jack Ciattarelli today issued the following statement after reading the watchdog report detailing a pattern of pay-to-play practices by Doug Steinhardt and his associates:

“Just one week ago, career politician Doug Steinhardt kicked off his campaign for Governor promising, in his words, “to drain the Trenton swamp.” He lied. As exposed by this damning report, Steinhardt is the swamp and has been for years.”

Want to know why government costs so much, why taxes are so high, and how the little guy gets screwed? It’s because of career insiders like Steinhardt use shady PACs to skirt campaign finance rules and enrich themselves at taxpayer expense.

Frankly, Steinhardt’s defense, like his campaign announcement video, is insulting. His pay-to-play scheme was never about electing Republicans to office. It was about power and lining his own pockets and those of his Democrat partners.

As Republicans, we can’t afford to nominate a swamp creature like Steinhardt to lead our ticket in November. We need a Governor who can fix the state, not someone who is a big reason why it’s broken.”

From the report: “A leading Republican candidate for governor, well-connected lawyer and longtime power player in Warren County politics, Doug Steinhardt, and people close to him have bypassed state pay-to-play laws while winning more than $10 million in government contracts in the past decade.”