NJ Governor fires education commissioner over gaffe

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But, as State Senate President Steve Sweeney said in a phone interview today, a video of the meeting, released by the Obama administration, shows that Schundler did not give the federal officials anything.

"He just sat there, not saying anything," Sweeney said.

"I was extremely disappointed to learn that the videotape of the Race to the Top presentation was not consistent with the information provided to me by the New Jersey Department of Education and which I then conveyed to the people of New Jersey," Christie said in a statement Friday. "As a result, I ordered an end to Bret Schundler's service as New Jersey's Education Commissioner and as a member of my administration."

When Christie asked for Schundler's resignation, Schundler asked in return if the governor would fire him instead, so he could collect unemployment insurance. The governor obliged him.

Sweeney said that appears to be fraud.

"The governor is an ex-prosecutor, he ought to know that he should not be doing that," Sweeney said.

Sweeney is the state's leading Democratic elected official. Christie and Schundler are Republicans.

Sweeney said "everything is very confused right now. We don't know exactly what happened, but we are going to find out."

Sweeney said that, in April, the federal government offered a seminar to all the states desiring  Race to the Top funds in how to fill out the application forms correctly.

"New Jersey is the only state that did not respond to the federal government's offer to help with the application form," Sweeney said.

On Aug. 11, state officials were informed that there was a mistake with the application.

"But they did not bother to inform the Legislature or anyone else," Sweeney said.

Sweeney said that he and fellow Democrat, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, publicly supported the state application to Race to the Top even when the governor rejected certain inclusions in the application by the state's education association.

"We heard from the state teachers to withdraw our support, but we did not withdraw it because we knew how important that $400 million was to the state school systems," Sweeney said.

Sweeney called upon the governor to come clean as to what exactly happened.

"We are going to hold a hearing in the state Senate on September 23 and we are inviting Mr. Schundler," Sweeney said. "Not getting that money is just a terrible loss to New Jersey and we are going to get to the bottom of what happened."