NEWARK, N.J. – A federal judge said Monday he planned to unseal portions of a letter that describes evidence from a federal investigation into Sen. Robert Torricelli's campaign and personal finances.
The letter was part of court documents prosecutors filed last month in asking for a sentence reduction for David Chang, the businessman at the center of the inquiry into Torricelli's 1996 campaign. Chang accused the senator of accepting cash and gifts in exchange for political favors.
Theodore Wells, an attorney for the senator, said the ruling will be appealed.
"After an exhaustive investigation of Senator Torricelli, the government closed its case without filing any charges and this entire matter should be forever closed," Wells said.
The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Record of Hackensack and WNBC-TV in New York have petitioned the court to unseal the letter.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Wolin said he intended to unseal parts of the letter related to Chang's allegations about Torricelli that have already been reported in the news, but would hold off pending appeals.
The news organizations are also expected to appeal the ruling because of the decision to keep the rest of the letter sealed.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox