Golan Cipel
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Golan Cipel (Hebrew: גולן ציפל, pronounced "Tzi-pel") was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1968, and grew up in the city of Rishon LeZion. He served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for five years as a naval officer, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant.[1]
Following his service in the military, Golan held several positions in government. He began his career in 1992 as Parliamentary Aide in the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, where he was responsible for policy formation, as well as the drafting of legislation. In 1994 he joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Chief Information Officer at the Consulate General of Israel in New York, where he was responsible for presenting the Israeli government perspective to the American media and public. In 1999, Mr. Cipel was appointed the spokesperson for the municipality of Rishon LeZion, his hometown and the fourth largest city in Israel.
In 2001, Golan Cipel returned to the United States to work on the gubernatorial campaign of Jim McGreevey. Following the election, Golan was appointed Counselor to the Governor, advising McGreevey on issues including political strategy, diplomatic affairs and Jewish community relations. He also served as liaison between the states's various security and law enforcement agencies and the Governor's office.
Cipel was hired by New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey as Homeland Security Adviser on 15 January 2002 at the salary of $110,000.[citation needed] He is best known as the man who caused Governor McGreevey to resign following his intention to file a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment and sexual assault.
[edit] Background
McGreevey met Cipel while on a junket to Israel in 2000. Cipel was working as a public affairs officer for the municipal government. Cipel later moved to New Jersey in order to provide outreach to the Jewish community on behalf of McGreevey's gubernatorial campaign. It is reported that the position only paid $10,000 a year. Later a top-donor to McGreevey hired Cipel to a PR-type position at a salary of $30,000 a year.
McGreevey eventually appointed Cipel as a homeland security adviser. Investigations by the news media into Cipel's history revealed few notable qualifications related to intelligence or security. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation would not grant him the necessary security clearances for the job because he was a foreign national. He was retained on the government payroll as a "counselor" at the same salary and with undefined job responsibilities. Documents show that he helped plan foreign trips for the governor, and that he continued his liaison role with the Jewish community. He ultimately resigned in August 2002, taking a position at the Trenton lobbying firm State Street Partners.
Reports that Cipel would file a sexual harassment suit against McGreevey in Mercer County Court led to McGreevey's decision to out himself as "a gay American" on August 12, 2004, and announce that he had engaged in an adulterous relationship with Cipel and would be resigning as governor.
On August 12, Internet gossip columnist and blogger Matt Drudge reported that the governor's office had called the Federal Bureau of Investigation, stating that Cipel had sought $5 million in exchange for dropping the suit. Instead, Cipel dropped the suit immediately after McGreevey resigned, stating that justice had been served. McGreevey confirms this account in his book on the matter.
[edit] Cipel's version
In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz (August 19, 2004), Cipel stated that his situation was intentionally misrepresented by the governor's office and affirmed that he had never actually been responsible for internal security under the governor.
According to Cipel, the press had distorted his history, transforming him from a naval officer into a "sailor", and from someone who had self-published a book of poetry at age sixteen into a "poet." He claims such distortions supported the "gay" story that McGreevey allegedly created and the press eagerly covered.
In his own words, Cipel claims he was in fact one of many unwilling victims of McGreevey's sexual harassment, that he had "no romantic affair" with the governor, but rather was taken advantage of. He also describes the former governor's behavior as egotistical, unprofessional, immoral and immature, as well as having received threats from McGreevey's "friends" should he come forward and speak.
Golan currently works as an independent marketing consultant. He holds a BA and MA in communications from the New York Institute of Technology.[2]
