Former McGreevey official sought $50 million, aides say

The man who claims Gov. James E. McGreevey sexually harassed him was pushing for a cash settlement of up to $50 million before the governor decided to announce that he was gay and had an extramarital affair, sources told The Associated Press.

Golan Cipel's demands also included a last-minute push to have McGreevey's administration approve development plans for a private medical college in the state, two senior members of the administration said Saturday. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity.

McGreevey's lawyer refused to negotiate, one of the sources said, and rejected repeated offers to pay cash to avoid a lawsuit that would detail the governor's relationship with Cipel, a former campaign aide whose appointment as a homeland security adviser with little experience provoked a major political controversy for the governor.
Cipel's lawyer first contacted McGreevey on July 23, asking for $50 million, one of the administration sources said. More offers were made, and the price dropped. Each time McGreevey's lawyer refused to agree and did not discuss the issue further, the source said.

Eventually that figure dropped to $5 million, both sources said, and the offers to avoid a sexual harassment lawsuit continued Thursday afternoon just as McGreevey made up his mind to declare his homosexuality and admit to an extramarital affair with a man.Two sources close to McGreevey said Thursday that Cipel was the unnamed man the governor acknowledged having an affair with in his resignation speech that day.The FBI is investigating whether a former employee tried to blackmail the governor, according to law enforcement sources.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/14/governor.resigns.ap/index.html

And his affiliations?

Because I keep thinking of Paula Jones.

Lowy is supposedly a music industry lawyer. Cipel sure isn't paying him with the 30k a year he's making in PR.

Just watch.

I get the impression McGreevey may not have been John Hancock but I'm getting the feeling someone had it in for him.

Sure sounds like an ugly mix of both to me. And yes, the Paula Jones comparison sounds apt.

He must have thought he was something to deserve that kind of payout!

Hmmm.a lot of strands and what have yous, a lot of strands to piece together in the old duder's head. Quite a drop in price from 50 to 5 million too.

the resignation become effective immediately. They are probably the ones who put the guy up to issuing all his demands.

Adjusting my tin foil a bit... sure has been a push to get GOP governors installed one way or another. Bugs me cuz I keep thinking back early after 9-11 when the junta floated the trial balloon about trying to get a law passed where state governors would appoint (instead of elections or state legislatures appointing interim officials until an election could be held) reps to Congress if any attack or disaster took out a bunch of members.

I also think about that whenever the junta holds one of their special meetings to give info to only GOP members of the Senate or House of Reps. Keep fearing they are gonna tell their herd what day to be absent from the hallowed halls of the Capital.

Think Paula Jones.

Being that I'm living in one of the most "Democratic" states there is, and the fact that the Junta managed to get a body-building sexist gropenator for our Repuke Governor here in Caly-forni-ah. Look what they did in the recall of Gray Davis and even now the newspapers are admitting that while Ahnuld has a 63% approval rating, he is virtually in the same mess budget wise etc. that Gray Davis was and for what Gray Davis was criticized for and that "drove the recall".

I think that this situation with McGreevey has a lot of strange things to it and I look forward to finding out the links from Cipel to others and seeing what is up there. So McGreevey is Gay....so what-its his own personal business....so he had an extra-marital affair...that's an issue he has to deal with his wife on....so he had an affair with an aide....happens more than people want to imagine, but how can it be "harrassment" if they were having the affair, and that the aide got his job so that the intent was for them to be able to be together discreetly without suspicion?

The extortion thing is so strange...I believe that they figured he'd pay up and that they could blackmail him on other things because they miscalculated and figured he'd never have the cajonas to come out publicly and defy them.

Good for McGreevey standing up and saying he's Gay, his commitment to continuing on through Nov. 15th and transitioning the power according to their state constitution. He shouldnt' step down....90 days and counting and I have the feeling that because he didn't give in to their demands and now with the FBI investigating, they will back off and if anything, McGreevey may be vindicated other than just being guilty of an extramarital affair (regardless of with whom) and that he is guilty of nepotism and inappropriately appointing a personal friend with inappropriate background to public policy positions.

PS: Have you been following what is happening here in CA with the Secretary of State Kevin Shelley? Me thinks that the Junta is trying to force him to quit and then have Ahnuld appoint "convenientely" a Republican appointee for Sec. of State here in CA before the elections....No wonder Dubya is seeming awfully confident about his possibility of winning CA....Sec. Kelley has done great things for the Voters of CA and was the first in the Nation to take a stance against the Diebold machines....highly highly suspicious why these election campaign donation problems suddenely turn up now.....hmmmm....:think:

McGreevey has evidence that the relationship was consensual which Cipel isn't aware of. Evidence comes out, Cipel is proven to be an extortionist and is bounced back home to Israel. End of story.

But he left McGreevey's office in mid-2002, and used McGreevey's help to get him subsequent jobs. That certainly lends credibility to McGreevey's claim that the relationship was consensual. What made Cipel suddenly realize that he'd endured $50 MILLION DOLLARS worth of sexual harassment a year and half earlier? A GOP operative threatening deportation and trying to force a special election?

:headbang:
rrocknation

Which makes me think they have files on all the Dem govs. And Senators.

Maybe they wouldn't have done anything if Rowland had kept his seat.

if done via a lawyer. amazing isn't it?

if you threaten to go public with damaging info, and offer your silence in exchange for cash, that's blackmail.

but, have your lawyer talk about filing a lawsuit, which just happens to make said damaging info public, and offer not to file the suit in exchange for cash, well, that's perfectly legal.

ain't america grand?