Rachel Noerdlinger

Mercury LLC is a nonpartisan firm; and Mr. DuHaime cannot be held responsible for every decision their firm makes. Nonetheless, as a partner he certainly can influence hiring decisions. It is hard to avoid the question, then, of why Mr. Christie’s top advisor was comfortable hiring a managing director whose ties to anti-police sentiments were significant enough that Mayor de Blasio, hardy the most outspoken defendant of the NYPD, felt compelled to let her go. In a city filled with smart Democratic operatives, it would have been easy for Mercury to recruit one without the anti-police baggage, but perhaps it will fall to Mr. Christie to explain this later this year on the campaign trail.