Murphy non-profit ad response won’t hurt budget talks, Coughlin says

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin isn’t worried about his response to an ad boosting a millionaire’s tax run by New Direction New Jersey imperiling the year’s budget negotiations.

“I think I was pretty clear in the statement that I think these were outside forces trying, to whatever end, trying to divide the legislature, and that’s why I said it,” Coughlin said. “I think we’re going to stay faithful to our mission, we’re going to work hard to make sure we get a budget that gets passed, it’s going to be a good, responsible budget. It’s going to be done on time. That’s my plan, and I’m sticking to it.”

In a statement to Politico New Jersey on Thursday, Coughlin said he was “disappointed that allies of the Governor continue to spend money from undisclosed donors, for the purpose of dividing legislators.”

New Direction New Jersey is a 501(c)(4) run by close allies of Gov. Phil Murphy, including his former campaign manager Brendan Gill, who is president of Essex County’s Freeholder Board.

Such groups are not required to disclose their donors, and despite a promise to release a list of its funders at the end of last year, New Direction New Jersey has not disclosed who is funding the group’s actions.

Coughlin and Senate President Steve Sweeney were incensed last year after the group ran an ad touting Gov. Phil Murphy’s accomplishments during the year’s budget negotiations.

That ad did not mention the budget or the fight surrounding it.

This year’s tv spot is a bit more direct.

It features Murphy making a direct call for a millionaire’s tax, which his counterparts in the legislature oppose.

At the same time, Murphy is feuding with South Jersey power broker George Norcross, a close ally of Sweeney’s, over tax incentives meted out by the Economic Development Authority.

Norcross sued Murphy and a task force he convened to investigate abuses of the authority’s tax incentives on Wednesday.

Budget leaders in both chambers have told the New Jersey Globe they worry the feud could make it more difficult to pass a budget before July 1.

Though a shutdown would harm all three Democratic leaders, it’s the worst case scenario for Coughlin, whose caucus is facing elections this year.