The pair met and Greenwald said he liked what he saw.
"I was impressed by the interview, so I instructed my office I would support him through a letter of recommendation," said Greenwald, who, like Adler, said someone from his office ultimately signed the letter on his behalf.
A copy of the letter could not be obtained. The legislators said it was so long ago they didn't know whether they kept a copy or where to look for one. The governor's office said it did not have a copy, and a search of McGreevey's files in the state archives proved fruitless. UMDNJ officials, meanwhile, refused to release the letter, claiming it was exempt from the state open records act.
To what extent the letter helped Gallagher's case is unclear, but Cook, the UMDNJ president, did name him interim dean shortly afterward. And in November 2002, Gallagher became permanent dean.
That fall, prosecutors say, Bryant approached Cook about a job at the osteopathic school. Cook did not return a call for comment. The meeting with Cook, prosecutors say, led to a meeting among Bryant, Gallagher, and an unnamed UMDNJ vice president. A few months after that, in early 2003, Gallagher created the fake $35,000-a-year job for Bryant, according to the indictment.
Five years later, the other lawmakers who threw their support behind Gallagher have been left to grapple with the fact that they commended a man federal prosecutors now say is an out-and-out criminal.
Said Greenwald: "It goes without saying that if the allegations are true, we're disappointed."
Sweeney was a little more blunt: "You think, 'How did I get anywhere near this thing?' "
Contact staff writer Jennifer Moroz at 609-989-8990 or jmoroz@phillynews.com.
