Kim stands with Platkin amid Norcross indictment backlash

As New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin takes heat from all sides following a judge’s dismissal of his indictment against South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross, he has at least one powerful figure staying on his side: U.S. Senator Andy Kim.

Kim, who has aligned with Platkin in the past on anti-corruption issues – and in his skepticism of Norcross, long one of the most powerful people in state politics – said in a statement that he believes Platkin’s cause to be a righteous one despite recent setbacks.

“An Attorney General that is trying to change our broken politics in NJ and stand up to lawlessness from the White House will of course ruffle feathers and invite retaliation,” Kim said. “I respect AG Platkin for being in the arena of public service and taking on the hard fights that many shy away from. Not everyone will agree with all of his actions as he has raised concerns about both Democrats and Republicans, but we need that political and partisan independence now more than ever, especially in our law enforcement.”

Platkin released a bombshell indictment against Norcross, one of his brothers, and several other top South Jersey Democrats last summer, alleging that Norcross had engaged in a long-running corruption and racketeering scheme in the city of Camden. Norcross vituperatively denied the charges, saying his conduct was simply that of a hard-nosed businessman – and state Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw agreed, writing yesterday that the allegations “do not constitute extortion or criminal coercion as a matter of law.” (Platkin, for his part, has appealed the judge’s dismissal of charges and vowed to continue litigating the case.)

The response to the dismissal was swift: Norcross claimed vindication and threatened to file a civil suit for prosecutorial misconduct, while Republicans in the New Jersey State Assembly filed articles of impeachment today against Platkin, arguing that he’s misused his office and hobbled the State Police. Platkin’s aggressive approach to his office’s work had already earned him relatively few allies in state politics, and the judge’s decision has only exacerbated that.

But if there’s any politician who would stand behind Platkin through the hubbub, it makes sense that it would be Kim. Though initially appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy, Platkin has grown increasingly independent of the governor, whose wife Kim faced in a Democratic Senate primary last year; a pivotal moment in that primary came when Platkin said he believed the county line ballot design system to be unconstitutional, an argument which Kim then successfully argued in federal court.

As Kim’s statement referenced, Platkin has also taken on an increasingly prominent role as a member of a cohort of Democratic attorneys general who have taken on the Trump administration in court (and frequently won).