Corzine's Condition Improving

Gov. Corzine is finally off a respirator and is breathing on his own. It's taken longer for him to come off the respirator because of all the damage to his ribs and sternum. The pain from his injuries simply was too much for him to be able to breathe on his own.

It is going to be a very long and painful recovery for the Governor.

As I noted yesterday, the governor's driver, State Trooper Rasinski better get himself a good lawyer because it is looking more and more like his actions were responsible for the accident. Now, investigators are wondering whether Rasinski was distracted by personal issues.

The State Police are investigating whether the trooper driving Gov. Jon Corzine at the time of last week's crash was distracted by an ongoing, bitter dispute with another police officer over a woman.

State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes confirmed the investigation in a statement last night but would not elaborate on the accusations. The head of the troopers union said Trooper Robert Rasinski is cooperating with the investigation and that it involves a romantic triangle.

Corzine remains hospitalized in critical condition with numerous broken bones in his chest and a fractured femur. Yesterday, for the first time since the April 12 accident, doctors were able to remove him from a ventilator that had been helping him breathe, his spokesman said.

As to Rasinski, investigators are now looking into whether he was communicating with the unidentified officer from Union County, either by phone or mobile e-mail device, while he was driving the governor or just before, according to Davy Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association.

"Rob's dating a girl, whose soon-to-be-ex is a cop in Union County. That guy made an allegation. Affairs of the heart are always very, very difficult," Jones said. The local officer, Jones said, is "getting divorced; he's bitter, he's mad and he wants his pound of flesh. Understandably, it's being investigated ... to see if there's any merit or not."

Jones said Rasinski has waived any privacy rights in this case and is willing to let investigators review his e-mails and phone calls to exonerate himself. Jones said he believes Rasinski was in a professional state of mind while driving the governor and fully capable of performing his security and driving obligations.