The Garden State’s rotten harvest apparent in Booker’s network of corruption

The scene was pure political theater—the kind of slick, stage-managed spectacle that makes your teeth ache from the sugar-coating on February 21, 2019, when Senator Cory Booker stood bathed in the glow of home-state adoration

Grinning like a man who’d just hit the jackpot in Atlantic City, a wall of power brokers behind him—Governor Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and every Democratic member of New Jersey’s congressional delegation—lined up like obedient soldiers, pledging allegiance to Booker’s presidential ambitions.

“I’m honored,” Booker declared, oozing that trademark blend of earnestness and ambition, “to have the endorsement of so many great New Jersey Democratic leaders” but among those supporting this vanity campaign for the White House—what turned out to be a ruse intended mainly to steer progressive voters away from Senator Bernie Sanders—were more than a few whose backing did not age well.

What he didn’t say—what nobody in that room dared whisper—was that the “great leaders” included some of the most brazenly corrupt operators ever to grease the wheels of Jersey politics.

This wasn’t a show of strength; it was a rogues’ gallery masquerading as a unity rally.

Take Joseph A. McCallum, Jr., the West Ward Newark councilman who three years later, pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and tax charges, admitting he’d schemed to pocket bribes and kickbacks from developers hungry for city contracts.

From 2017 through 2020, McCallum operated like a middleman in a protection racket—soliciting payoffs through an associate, shaking down contractors for $16,000 here, $25,000 there, even trying to grab a slice of a $50,000 developer payment. His currency? “Access.” His leverage? The threat of killing deals for those who didn’t pay up.

Yet there he stood in 2019, singing Booker’s praises: “I consider him a friend and a mentor… I wholeheartedly support his candidacy” — the irony was thicker than Turnpike smog.

Then there was Robert Menendez—senior senator, foreign policy sage, and, as we now know, a walking monument to political avarice.

In 2019, Menendez delivered a stirring endorsement: “Cory Booker has the ability to bring our nation together at a time when the country is being torn apart.”

Those were noble words from a man whose closets were already stuffed with the loot of his own betrayal.

Flash forward to 2024, Menendez wasn’t uniting anything except gold bars and cash-filled envelopes. Convicted on 16 counts—bribery, acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, obstruction—the details read like a spy novel written by a degenerate gambler: $480,000 in cash hidden in jackets and closets. Gold bars worth over $100,000. A luxury Mercedes convertible courtesy of an insurance broker named Jose Uribe. And what did Egypt get for their investment?

Menendez demanded military aid, leaked sensitive embassy staffing details, and strong-armed USDA officials to protect a shady meat monopoly.

And let’s not forget Jeff Van Drew—the congressman with the situational principles. Back in 2019, he was still masquerading as a Democrat, praising Booker’s “relentless focus on building bridges.”

Within months, he’d perform a political pole-dance into the arms of Donald Trump, pledging his “undying support” in an Oval Office love-fest.

The man who once lauded Booker’s bipartisanship would later vote against certifying the 2020 election and sponsor legislation to shield Trump from prosecution, because Van Drew didn’t build bridges—he burned them, then danced in the ashes. The clever senator tried to cover up his necrotic association with the turncoat.

Even the local muscle showed up. Amy DeGise, Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large and Hudson County Democratic Chair, gushed about Booker being “tough yet compassionate” —a curious description from a woman who’d later make headlines for mowing down a cyclist and fleeing the scene without braking.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo topped a list of prominent Democratic elected officials who endorsed Republican Governor Chris Christie’s re-election. DiVincenzo, along with mob lawyer Michael Critchley and power broker George Norcross, also sponsored Booker at a high-priced campaign fundraiser.

And lurking in the shadows was Tom Palmieri, Warren County Democratic Chair—a man whose idea of “networking” involved hands where they didn’t belong.

Only a year after praising Booker, three women would step forward with tales of “disconcertingly handsy” behavior and jokes about drugging drinks. One candidate recalled Palmieri’s “overly aggressive flirtation” and body comments; another described skirt-snapping at a political event.

His defense? “If I hugged them too long, I wish they’d said something.”

Yet in 2019, he waxed poetic about Booker’s “empathy and love,” proving that in Jersey, hypocrisy isn’t a flaw—it’s a prerequisite.

The stench of hypocrisy hung over that Newark press conference like refinery smoke. Here was Booker—the self-styled prophet of “common purpose”—surrounded by operators whose only common purpose was self-enrichment.

McCallum monetizing his council seat. Menendez auctioning U.S. foreign policy to Egypt. Van Drew trading parties like a day-trader swaps stocks. Palmieri’s sexual misconduct. DeGise’s arrogant disregard for human life.

Booker had nothing to say about his pals. What does that say about Booker? About New Jersey? About the whole rotten carnival of American politics?

It said that in the Garden State, endorsements aren’t about ideals—they’re about alliances.

They’re about the greasy handshakes and backroom nods that keep the machine churning. Booker’s triumph wasn’t a victory of ideas; it was a testament to the transactional heart of Jersey politics.

And as the gold bars clinked and the cash-filled envelopes piled up in Menendez’s closet, one truth became undeniable: The road to the White House was not paved with Garden State grift.

When he finally quit the 2020 presidential campaign, Booker said the Democratic Party, “has got to do a better job of getting more candidates running at all the levels, supporting a system that doesn’t benefit big money, but really big values.”

However, there is nothing to suggest Booker ever did anything to get better candidates running or reduce the influence of big money.

Lisa McCormick—the anti-establishment progressive Democrat who supported Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020, and challenged Bob Menendez in between—is openly questioning whether voters should consider giving bloviating Booker another six years.

“President Donald Trump, Senator Cory Booker, and their billionaire backers are waging economic war on the American middle class,” said McCormick. “At the same time they are seeking attention, the world is literally on fire, scientists say Earth is experiencing the sixth mass extinction, and the Doomsday Clock says it’s 89 seconds to midnight. Humanity cannot allow buffoons to wield power if we hope to survive our own recklessness.”

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez said, “Cory Booker has the ability to bring our nation together at a time when the country is being torn apart by the most divisive president in history. He is someone who is willing to reach out to the other side in common cause to achieve great things, as he did recently on criminal justice reform, but will also fiercely fight on principle. I think our country needs, and the Democratic Party needs in its candidate, someone who can unite this nation, reject the politics of hate, solve real challenges and take us forward. Cory Booker is exactly that type of person and will be that type of president.”

U.S. Representative Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02) said, “I am proud to endorse Senator Booker’s bid for the presidency. While he and I don’t agree on every issue, he has shown time and again that he’s relentlessly focused on building bridges and working together to get things done for the people of New Jersey, and for every American. His record of bipartisan accomplishment and message of bringing Americans together regardless of their backgrounds or political views is something this country desperately needs.”

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo said, “I have worked with Senator Booker on the local and national levels and, no matter what the issue, his concern has always been about doing what is best for the public. His unique way of bringing people together, courage to work across party lines and passion to challenge what is wrong are the traits America needs in its next leader. Without a doubt, I strongly support Cory Booker for President in 2020.”

Newark City Council member Joe McCallum said, “I have known and worked with Senator Bookersince 2002, when he first ran for Mayor of Newark. I consider him a friend and a mentor, who has always been there for the residents of the West Ward. I am sure that it would be a great benefit to our City, to have Sen. Cory Booker as our next President. I wholeheartedly support his candidacy and I will be there for him, because I know that he will be there for us.”

Hudson County Democratic Party Chair Amy DeGise said, ‘I’m a proud Jersey girl and Cory Booker is as Jersey as they come. He is tough yet compassionate, he is strong yet able to build consensus, he is bold yet will never use his words or his actions to embarrass us. Hudson County stands strong with Cory Booker to become the next President of the United States of America. He has committed his life to public service for the people of New Jersey and will make an extraordinary leader for our nation.’

Warren County Democratic Party Chair Tom Palmieri said, “Senator Booker’s message to infuse empathy and love to the dialogue between Americans is critical for our nation. Senator Booker will be President for all hardworking American families and, we need his ability to lead with compassion and love now more than ever. Senator Booker will lead us to a better America.”