Christie Draws Fire After Referring To Cop As 'Pig'

Gov. Chris Christie has drawn criticism for calling a police officer a “pension pig,” and his use of the word ”pig” has especially upset the state’s leading police union.

“Pig” is viewed as a derogatory reference for police officers, and Christie had criticized New Jersey State PBA President Pat Colligan for criticizing the governor.

Colligan has worked as a detective in Franklin Township.

Colligan, in a statement, accused the governor of ”lying” about his record as New Jersey’s governor, releasing a statement that said the Chris Christie the people in New Hampshire see “is the same one our members have been dealing with for the past six years. “

The transcript of the exchange went like this:

REPORTER: “The head of the police, PBA union in New Jersey has been pretty vocal, as I’m sure you’ve heard in the past couple of weeks…”

CHRISTIE: “Yeah, well listen, Matt…”

REPORTER: “Well let’s just ask why.”

CHRISTIE: “It’s because he’s a pension pig, that’s why. That’s all it’s about and you know that. That’s exactly what it’s all about. He’s a pension pig. That’s what it’s always been about. It’s about feeding at the trough as much as he possibly can. That’s what they’ve always been about. Rank-and-file law enforcement men and women have voted for me in overwhelming numbers in both my elections in New Jersey. And they’ll vote for me again as governor because they know that in the things that matter the most to them—the things that matter the most to them—that I stand up with them.”

“This is a man who has proven time and again he will say and do whatever it takes to claw his way to the next political position,” Colligan said. “Six years ago, in his first campaign for governor, he sent a letter to rank and file officers throughout New Jersey promising that he would never harm their pensions. That was a lie.”

The Star-Ledger also offered an editorial on the matter, saying:

It’s offensive on its face to call a police officer a pig of any kind, and it’s worth noting this comes from a guy who promised police that he will always “have their back” when it comes to their treatment of citizens on the street.

He has it exactly wrong. Police deserve to be treated with respect, but they don’t deserve unconditional support when they use excessive force.

But for New Jersey, the damage is more concrete. This kind of juvenile name-calling, which would earn a disobedient child a time-out, poisons any attempt to break the stalemate over pension reform. Christie is the governor. His priority should be to bring all parties to the table in good faith, not to provoke hostility. What could he be thinking?

Colligan said Christie “has been representing himself as a qualified lawman to the people of New Hampshire when the reality is that he was simply one of the biggest money bundlers for George W. Bush before he was appointed to be U.S. Attorney.”

“Now he thinks that putting together a press event, attacking me and lying again about his broken promises on our pensions will somehow convince police officers across the country that he has their best interests at heart. He does not,” Colligan said. “Over the past six years, the policies implemented in Trenton have driven thousands of officers to retire, led to hundreds of officers being laid off and left thousands of officers in danger in understaffed and underfunded departments throughout New Jersey.