NEWARK (AP) — U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has been asked to testify before members of Congress about a multimillion-dollar contract his office awarded to former Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The hearing before a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee is scheduled for Feb. 26, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Monday.
Ashcroft was also asked to testify but has not responded, according to Sanchez’s office.
Christie, the top federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey, has not said whether he will appear. At a news conference last week, he said he would appear before Congress if higher-ups in the Justice Department asked him to do so.
A federal monitor that Ashcroft’s Washington law firm received from Christie’s office is the subject of the probe. The deal is worth between $27 million and $52 million over 18 months.
“We’re interested in knowing about the process by which he was selected to be the monitor and what exactly he’s doing to earn the fee,” U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., told The Star-Ledger.
Under the contract, Ashcroft’s firm will monitor Indiana-based manufacturer Zimmer Holdings as part of an agreement the corporation entered into to settle a fraud investigation by Christie’s office.
The Justice Department is considering uniform guidelines to specify these type of monitor appointments and who is awarded them. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., has also introduced a bill that would increase oversight and establish specific rules for such appointments.
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<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 12:55 p.m. Report: N.J. prosecutor asked to testify about Ashcroft contract
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