Ruthless Ambition: The Rise and Fall of Chris Christie

"Manzo’s claim that Christie does everything with his political future in mind certainly rings true when compared to the governor’s actions and policies since taking office in Trenton. The revelation that Solomon Dwek, the undercover federal informant used by Christie to snare people in the sting, had mental problems according to Manzo and was used by prosecutors who did not divulge it to defense attorneys raises questions about any of the convictions obtained."

-NJ Political Blog: Hangin-on-the-Vine, April 14, 2014

"Eventually the charges against him  were dropped but Manzo's bitterness is understandable.  The case cost him everything:  his home, his life savings and his reputation. Ruthless Ambition is his attempt to get his good name back, and Manzo tells the story as he sees it. With federal prosecutors all too willing to tout their corruption-fighting bona fides, Manzo's account of the questionable tactics sometimes employed by them deserves a reading." 

-Josh McMahon, Star-Ledger, April 13, 2014

A hard-hitting new book skewers New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a career-long bully, opportunist and phony. Ruthless Ambition: The Rise and Fall of Chris Christie by former New Jersey State Assemblyman Louis Manzo credibly portrays the onetime early favorite for the GOP 2016 presidential nomination. 

-Andrew Kreig, The Justice Integrity Project  April 10, 2014

Surprise, surprise. Ruthless Ambition is a deep look into the political life and machinations of a governor and former U.S. attorney who had been in the national consciousness as a favorite potential candidate in 2016 to lead this nation. The author makes you believe Christie has more in common with Macbeth than Lincoln or Reagan. 

-Agustin Torres, Editor, Jersey Journal

In Ruthless Ambition, Louis Michael Manzo, a former New Jersey assemblyman, accuses Christie of politicizing his office.  He also reveals that a psychiatric evaluation of Christie''s informant Solomon Dwek,  revealed that Dwek had “a history of serious mental disorder." 

-Ryan Lizza, The New Yorker

In Ruthless Ambition, Lou Manzo has written a very interesting book that gets deep into the issues of how Chris Christie used the office of U.S. Attorney. Manzo has a sort of PhD. on this and his book is very interesting. 

-Ryan Lizza to Brian Lehrer on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC-AM.

How could a man like Chris Christie get within shouting distance of a seat in the Oval Office? What does this say about our Justice system, and about us? If you think you know the whole story of Christie’s rise and later fall from grace—think again.

In his searing tell-all, Ruthless Ambition: The Rise and Fall of Chris Christie, former New Jersey State Assemblyman Louis Manzo recounts an extraordinary tale of political ruthlessness, corruption, and greed while also telling the story of how he was caught in the center of one of the most egregious political scandals in modern-day history: the Bid Rig III sting operation, masterminded by the then United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey and soon-to-be Governor Chris Christie.

Manzo shows us how the blind ambitions of Christie and his staff centered on capturing a governorship and the patronage jobs that accompany it, then parlaying that office into a shot at the presidency. Meticulous in backing up everything he says with objective legal documentation, Manzo makes a convincing and disconcerting case for the governor as an unbridled and sinister political figure who made the most of a seriously flawed Department of Justice and overall dysfunctional judicial system to feed his megalomania and desire for power.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in justice and ethical leadership. It can’t happen here? Well, it almost did! Soon you will know why. Philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Substitute “understand history” and you can appreciate how Manzo’s courageous true tale is poised to help all of us better understand the seemingly incomprehensible.

Visit Louis Michael Manzo's new site anirishlullaby.com and read about his new, critically acclaimed novel An Irish Lullaby.

Ruthless Ambition: The Rise and Fall of Chris Christie

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