Sailor, Poet, NJ squeezeYes. New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey’s televised admission that he committed adultery with another man seemed all dignified and brave. McGreevey is after all, the highest ranking US politician to openly acknowledge his homosexuality. But with reports that McGreevey’s admission was spurred by quasi-extortionate demands by his former Israeli lover Golan Cipel, it looks like said admission were motivated more by self-interest than by, you know, ideals.

Add to that the fact that former Israeli sailor (I know, I know. Shutup, ok?) and poet (Shutup!!) Cipel was given all kinds of high paying jobs inside McGreevey’s administration for which he was totally unqualified, and the whole scandal thing looks kinda, well, sordid. And not because it’s a gay thing either. McGreevey basically kept his Israeli boyfriend close by at the expense of the safety and tax dollars of New Jersey citizens. Anyhow, read all about it in this article in the New York Daily News. It’s a hoot! This other article, in Newsday, describes a pre-admission situation that was just bizarre and pathetic. Cipel’s lawyer reportedly demanded $50 million and after McGreevey’s continuous refusal, offered to make the problem go away for $5 million and kept trying to get something off of the governor up until the day of the press conference. Yikes.

ck
Follow me

About the author

ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

1 Comment