Christie Crime Digest-Volume IV
Last edited Tue Nov 7, 2017, 09:49 PM - Edit history (83)
At long last! Christie Crime Digest Volume IV-The Trial. You can catch up on how we got here by visiting the Christie Crime Digest Volume I, Volume II and Volume III that detail the road to this point and point to where we're going-wherever that may be. Two guilty pleas (Wildstein & Samson), three indictments (Baroni, Kelly & Fox) and a whole lot of sleazy details of a Christie Administration run amuck later we will finally see . Things should get pretty busy from here on in with, hopefully, some truths finally coming to light.
Just Another Day At The Office!
301. A bit of a pre-game show- Game day for Bridgegate trial: How did we get here? :http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/a_bridgegate_trial_road_map_how_did_we_get_here.html Just to get you up to speed.
302. It's about time to start to get to the bottom of all of this- It's time for some answers in Fort Lee:http://www.northjersey.com/news/kelly-it-s-time-for-some-answers-in-fort-lee-1.1662398 This ought to be interesting.
303.What we all want to know-Bridgegate Trial Primer: What Did Chris Christie Know — and When Did He Know It?:http://www.wnyc.org/story/bridgegate-trial-primer-what-did-chris-christie-know-and-when-did-he-know-it/ Some of the excellent reporting from Matt Katz and Andrea Bernstein on behalf of WNYC. Well worth the read.
304. Yes, was Chris Christie culpable or incompetent? As the ‘Bridgegate’ trial begins this week, New Jersey’s Chris Christie remains the focus :http://www.rawstory.com/2016/09/as-the-bridgegate-trial-begins-this-week-new-jerseys-chris-christie-remains-the-focus/ That's a heck of a choice, isn't it?
305. What's that saying? From your lips to God's ears? The Bridgegate scandal, Christie's white whale, will smash his career to pieces:http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/09/a_prediction_christies_political_life_ends_with_br.html Time will tell.
306. And while you were away-Christie's trusted mentor and right hand found himself disgraced and entering a guilty plea-David Samson, Ally of Christie, Admits to Bribery Over Airline Route :http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/15/nyregion/david-samson-chris-christie-george-washington-bridge-scandal.html Is he going to go down alone? I hope not.
307. This wasn't in my high school yearbook-Most Likely to Destroy a Governor: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/09/david-wildstein-chris-christie-bridgegate-trial.html This is a great article.Will David Wildstein, star witness in the Bridgegate trial, take down his old high-school classmate Chris Christie? Oh I hope so.
308. Ever just have one of "those years"? Chris Christie’s 2016 just keeps getting worse and worse. And worse.: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/19/chris-christies-2016-just-keeps-getting-worse-and-worse-and-worse/ I don't think he's hit bottom just yet.
309. Summing up day 1 of the trial-Christie Takes a Beating in Bridgegate Trial Opening: 10 Takeaways: http://www.wnyc.org/story/christie-takes-beating-bridgegate-trial-opening-10-takeaways/ It's going to be a long 6 weeks for our favorite governor!
*A more detailed look at the first day of trial-Christie in Crosshairs, Targeted by Bridgegate Opening Statements: http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/09/20/christie-in-the-crosshairs-governor-targeted-by-bridgegate-opening-statements/ This was only the first day!
310. Witness Number 1-The Fort Lee Police Chief testifies about a clandestine meeting with the Port Authority Director of Operations-Bridgegate: First witness describes 'cloak and dagger' meeting on lane closures:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/bridgegate_what_time_for_some_traffic_problems_rea.html#incart_river_home Tell the mayor to call Baroni!
311. Witness Number 2-At Bridgegate trial, Fort Lee mayor tells of wooing by Christie campaign:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/the_bridgegate_trial_a_failed_courtship_and_then_t_1.html#incart_river_home The story just gets better.
312. Witness Number 3-P.A. director: Bridgegate lane closures were 'abusive decision' :http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/gridlock_politics_and_lies_on_the_stand_at_the_bri.html#incart_river_home It was important to Trenton-Indeed!
Sorry I'm Late-Traffic was a bitch! You all know how THAT can be.
313. Witness Number 4-John Ma-Bridgegate trial: Port Authority staffer says he tipped off media to lane closures : http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-port-authority-staffer-says-he-tipped-off-media-to-lane-closures-1.1664734 Wildstein was feared and hated by hundreds at the Port Authority, maybe thousands. That's Christie's right hand man alright.
314. Some wild testimony about Wildstein-Wildstein 'terrorized' P. A. employees, director testifies at Bridgegate trial: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/bridgegate_wildstein_foye_fire.html#incart_river_home_pop And they couldn't get rid of him because he was protected by Christie-you know, the guy that didn't even really know him.
315. Witness Number 5-Tina Lado-Bridgegate trial: N.Y. Port Authority chief says Christie protected his people : http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-n-y-port-authority-chief-says-christie-protected-his-people-1.1664734 Baroni told her not to call back the mayor of Fort Lee because the phone bills were too high! Really, he said that.
316. Witness Number 6-Matt Mowers takes the stand-Former Christie aide testifies at Bridgegate trial about how office handed out favors:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/former_christie_aide_testifies_in_bridgegate_trial.html#incart_most-commented_news_article They kept a spread sheet of favors they did for democratic mayors! Now that's transactional government at its finest!
317. Witness Number 7-the man, the myth, the legend, the vindictive asshole who was hated by hundreds, if not thousands (that was actual trial testimony!) David Wildstein-Bridgegate Trial: Wildstein says he was hired to play 'bad cop' to Baroni’s 'good cop' : http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-wildstein-says-he-was-hired-to-play-bad-cop-to-baroni-s-good-cop-1.1665806 The trial is getting real now folks!
* A summary of Day 5 from WNYC-more excellent reporting-Christie Talked Endorsements with Wildstein and Other Takeaways From the Bridgegate Trial Day 5 :http://www.wnyc.org/story/christie-discussed-port-authority-resouces-endorsement-scheme-and-other-takeaways-bridgegate-trial-day-5/ Next week should prove to be very interesting.
**Another day of Wildstein's testimony and it just keeps getting better-Bridgegate trial: Wildstein testifies former Bergen County executive was told of plan before lane closures: http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-wildstein-testifies-former-bergen-county-executive-was-told-of-plan-before-lane-closures-1.1666870 He told Stepien as well along with what the cover story was going to be. More to come!
***A great recap of Day 6 with still more to come from Mr. Wildstein-Wildstein Implicates Christie's Campaign Manager -- and More Bridgegate Trial Day 6 Takeaways : http://www.wnyc.org/story/wildstein-names-more-names-and-more-bridgegate-trial-day-6-takeaways/ Who in the Christie administration DIDN"T know about this scheme beforehand?
****Day 7-More Wildstein, more revelations-Wildstein testifies Christie’s spokesman knew of GWB plot: http://www.northjersey.com/news/wildstein-testifies-christie-s-spokesman-knew-of-gwb-plot-1.1667817 Everybody knew!
*****An insult to one of the great movie characters of all time-‘Mr. Wolf’ Sought to Fix Bridge Scandal, Ex-Christie Ally Testifies:http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/nyregion/mr-wolf-sought-to-fix-bridge-scandal-ex-christie-ally-testifies.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region So pretty please with sugar on top....
******Another day on the witness stand for Mr. Wildstein, meanwhile-Here’s the Unofficial List of Bridgegate Co-conspirators: http://www.wnyc.org/story/heres-unofficial-list-bridgegate-co-conspirators/ The number is up to 10 and counting. Is there anybody in the Christie Administration who WASN'T in on this? Raise your hand if you had nothing to do with it.
*******After 8 days, Wildstein is finally finished with his testimony. It was an interesting week.Who is telling the truth? 3 shockers in Wildstein's latest Bridgegate testimony : http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/3_surprising_new_details_from_wildsteins_latest_br.html It's time to move on to other witnesses but the damage has been done.
318. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks Christie Has Blood On His Hands Christie the destroyer: How New Jersey's governor ran the Port Authority and NJTransit into the ground:http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/christie-destroyer-article-1.2813600 It took ONE DAY after the Hoboken crash to reach an agreement on the Transportation Trust Fund!
319.What has come out of the trial so far? On Bridgegate, the stink around Christie gets worse:http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/10/on_bridgegate_the_stink_around_christie_gets_worse.html#incart_2box_opinion That's a lot of stink.
320. Of all of the messed up things Christie has done, perhaps none of them are as bad as screwing up Sandy recovery-Federal Audit Finds New Jersey Failed to Control Sandy Funds :http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/10/05/federal-audit-finds-new-jersey-failed-to-control-sandy-funds/ # Remember what Criswell said way back in Volume 1.
So if anybody asks-It was a traffic study. Got me?
321. Witness Number 8-Christopher Stark from the IGA Office that Bridget Kelly ran for Christie-Witness says Christie, staff froze out local officials who crossed governor : http://www.northjersey.com/news/witness-says-christie-staff-froze-out-local-officials-who-crossed-governor-1.1671584
322. This is related to the previous entry but deserves its own space here-Bridgegate Witness: Christie Dropped F-Bomb on County Official to Threaten Him:http://www.wnyc.org/story/bridgegate-witness-christie-dropped-f-bomb-county-official-threaten-him/ Words cannot describe how proud I am to be from New Jersey today! Ugh.
323. So Christie didn't know about the lane closures but he did know about an office baking contest?-'Christie Creme' donuts turned up the heat in gov's office, Bridgegate testimony reveals: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/christie_creme_donuts_turned_up_the_heat_in_govs_o.html More importantly, Christine Renna exposes herself as a self-serving, conniving untrustworthy creep. In other words, the perfect Christie employee.
324. So the trial goes on, what did we find out last week? Bridgegate: What happened in Week 3: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/bridgegate_what_happened_in_week_3.html#incart_river_home This was an ugly week in the courtroom.
325. Still to come-Stile: Christie’s soldiers may become witnesses:http://www.northjersey.com/news/stile-christie-s-soldiers-may-become-witnesses-1.1673503 The whole idea of turning over the rocks in this administration is a bit-disgusting.
326. Maybe, just maybe....New Scrutiny for Whistleblower Case: http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/10/10/new-scrutiny-for-whistleblower-case-involving-christie-administration/ In the words of the assemblyman-this case might make Bridgegate look like "no big deal". Item #1 still lives-barely.
327.Quite a day in court today: Former Christie aide says Baroni alerted her about Bridgegate emails:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/governors_authorities_chief_leads_off_week_4_of_br.html#incart_most-read_news_article Oh, and just as an aside, Kelly's attorney said that Kelly told Christie about the lane closures BEFORE they happened. Just sayin'.
*Or to sum up today's courtroom doings-Bridgegate Day 15: Another Bombshell, Another Lie to The Press, And Some More Cursing:http://www.wnyc.org/story/bridgegate-day-15-another-bombshell-another-lie-press-and-some-more-cursing/ What a day that was.
328. Oh, here's a shock-Billy Baloney Baroni's testimony was all made up-no kidding:P.A. cops: Baroni gave phony Bridgegate testimony to lawmakers:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/pa_cops_baroni_gave_phony_bridgegate_testimony_to.html#incart_most-commented_news_article But Bill thinks he's going to take the stand and charm his way out of this one.
* Just to be clear-Bridgegate trial: Port Authority cops say Baroni told them to lie:http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-port-authority-cops-say-baroni-told-them-to-lie-1.1675309 Keep smiling Bill.
** I sure being a lackey for Christie was not Mr. Baroni's career goal-Bridgegate: Courtroom performances frame Bill Baroni’s career: http://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-state-news/bridgegate-courtroom-performances-frame-bill-baroni-s-career-1.1677219 I guess that explains the constant dopey look on his face.
329. The Prosecution rests-after 4 weeks of testimony it's time for the defense, let's see what they've got-Bridgegate: Prosecution rests case on infamous email :http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-prosecution-rests-case-on-infamous-email-1.1676638 I don't think the bombshells have finished falling.
Somehow this just doesn't sound very appetizing does it? In fact its pretty disgusting
330. I see said the blind man-Governor's chief counsel testifies he saw 'nothing nefarious' in Bridgegate: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/defense_in_bridgegate_trial_begins_their_case.html#incart_river_home Somehow this testimony just doesn't ring true. An interesting intersection between save yourself and save the king.
331. It took a citizens complaint to get to this-something that has been obvious to all of us-Judge finds probable cause in complaint against Christie over GWB lane closures:http://www.northjersey.com/news/judge-finds-probable-cause-in-complaint-against-christie-over-gwb-lane-closures-1.1676692 It may go nowhere but the headline sounds so good.
*A bit more on where things stand: As Bridgegate Prosecution Rests, Christie Faces Separate Criminal Complaint: http://www.wnyc.org/story/chris-christie-faces-criminal-misconduct-complaint/ Ends up to be a pretty damning commentary on the MIA State Attorney General's Office.
332. Billy Baloney Baroni takes the stand in a desperate attempt to extricate himself-Baroni testimony: I thought Bridgegate traffic study was legit : http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/i_believed_david_wildstein.html Wildstein made me do it!
*Explain this away Mr. Baroni-Prosecutors end Bridgegate case with combative video of Baroni testimony:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/prosecutors_in_bridgegate_trial_near_end_of_their.html Humina Humina.....
**What the hell is Baroni talking about? 6 surprises from Bill Baroni's Bridgegate testimony:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/highlights_of_bill_baronis_bridgegate_testimony.html Honest, he was just an innocent dupe!
***That dog don't hunt-Big day in Bridgegate: Baroni testimony gets nailed :http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/10/bridgegate_scandal_bill_baroni_shocker_moran.html Nice try Baroni.
333. Christie's close confidante Mike DuHaime takes the stand today and doesn't really do Mr. Christie any favors-Bridgegate witnesses 'don't recall' details following lane closures : http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20161021_Bridgegate_defense__Christie__Cuomo_talked_after_lane_closures.html He knows nothing-nothing!
334. Bridget Kelly takes the stand-and oh what a fine mess-Bridgegate: Kelly says she told Christie of GWB plan the day before she sent 'traffic problems' email : http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-kelly-says-she-told-christie-of-gwb-plan-the-day-before-she-sent-traffic-problems-email-1.1681115 KABOOM! Plus the testimony about Christie as an abusive boss was just disturbing.
* Chris Christie-What a guy!-Bridgegate defendant Bridget Kelly paints ex-boss Chris Christie as menacing loudmouth who threw water bottle at her amid GWB lane closures: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/bridget-kelly-christie-threw-bottle-gwb-study-article-1.2839935 Yeah, a real tough guy!
** An interesting day indeed-Five things we learned from Kelly's Bridgegate testimony today:http://www.northjersey.com/news/five-things-we-learned-from-kelly-s-bridgegate-testimony-today-1.1681300 And number six-Christie is a...oh I guess we didn't just learn that today.
*** Let Wildstein Handle it-he's a sneaky little shit just like you-Christie does Dean Wormer- In Bridget Kelly's Own Words: http://www.wnyc.org/story/bridget-kellys-own-words/ A summary of what she had to say today.
****The anatomy of a scapegoat-Bridgegate trial: Kelly says she feared she was being set up:http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-kelly-says-she-feared-she-was-being-set-up-1.1682107 Nothing is ever anybody's fault around here.
*****It was all just a poor choice of words, doncha know-Kelly says she used 'poor choice of words' in infamous Bridgegate emails: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/hard_questions_for_bridgegate_defendant_as_trial_n.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured When I said "time for some traffic problems" I didn't mean like traffic problems. Sheesh.
******Oh what a tangled web we weave......Cross-examination questions Kelly's timeline of fallout from GWB scandal: http://www.northjersey.com/news/cross-examination-questions-kelly-s-timeline-of-fallout-from-gwb-scandal-1.1682438 One more day of this-and then what will I do?
*******All good things come to an end-Defense rests in Bridgegate as prosecutors question Kelly's version of events:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/defense_rests_in_bridgegate_as_the_trial_winds_dow.html#incart_river_home_pop The defense may have rested but I don't get the impression that they're resting very well-if you know what I mean.
335. This is Christie's governing style-everything political, everything for his benefit-Bridgegate testimony offers a peek inside the IGA, Trenton’s ‘political shop’ :http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-testimony-offers-a-peek-inside-the-iga-trenton-s-political-shop-1.1681851 Your tax dollars at work!
336. Apparently calling Christie a bully just doesn't quite capture how bad he really is- At Bridgegate trial, Christie portrayed as something worse than a bully :http://www.northjersey.com/news/stile-bridgegate-trial-painting-christie-as-anything-but-not-a-bully-1.1682350 A political goon-That has a nice ring to it.
337. As the trial ends, an important ruling-Bridgegate trial: Prosecution doesn't need to prove motivation behind GWB lane closures:http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-prosecution-doesn-t-need-to-prove-motivation-behind-gwb-lane-closures-1.1682836 It doesn't really matter why they did it, just that they did it.
When you told the governor about closing the lanes did he let out a happy laugh or an evil laugh?
338. Over? Did you say over? Chris Christie Is Over:http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/chris-christie-is-over/505241/ Nothing is over until we say it is!
339. Chris Christie didn't just go down in flames himself-Chris Christie's epic collapse:http://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2016/10/bridgegate-christies-parting-gift-to-new-jersey-republicans-106757 “I think Chris Christie has destroyed the Republican Party in New Jersey for a generation,” said Seton Hall political science professor Matt Hale
340. You think Kelly & Baroni are singing Me and My Shadow?- Gov. Christie’s Shadow Over Bridgegate:http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/27/opinion/gov-christies-shadow-over-bridgegate.html That's a mighty big shadow.
341. A brief delay before the closing arguments. I wonder what they were talking about-After delay, prosecutors expected to begin closing arguments in Bridgegate trial :http://www.northjersey.com/news/after-delay-prosecutors-expected-to-begin-closing-arguments-in-bridgegate-trial-1.1683639 Well, now it's time to wait.
* Oh the tension-Evidence Is In, Jury Will Soon Be Out:http://www.wnyc.org/story/five-takeaways-bridgegate-testimony-wraps/ There's got to be more than 5 takeaways.
342. The summations begin. The prosecutor makes the most simple and straight-forward argument possible: Prosecutor: Bridgegate defendants were 'loyal lieutenants' of Christie : http://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2016/10/prosecutors-in-closing-say-bridgegate-defendants-were-loyal-lieutenants-of-christie-106849 “They never attempted to separate politics from their jobs in public service.”
* Of course the defense sees it differently-Bridgegate trial: Dueling portraits of Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly: http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-dueling-portraits-of-bill-baroni-and-bridget-anne-kelly-1.1683923 Please, please please believe my client no matter how bad his testimony sounds.
**I'm not sure this is a great argument for the defense-Baroni attorney takes aim at key Bridgegate witness in closing argument :http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/baroni_attorney_takes_aim_at_key_bridgegate_witnes.html#incart_river_home But then again it might be all he's got.
***Mr. Critchley's turn on behalf of Bridget Kelly-Doh!- Bridgegate defense mocks Christie in courthouse where he built his reputation : http://www.northjersey.com/news/stile-bridgegate-defense-mocks-christie-in-courthouse-where-he-built-his-reputation-1.1685721 Coward! Bully! Liar! That's a trifecta for Mr. Christie.
****What will the jury be considering? Bridgegate jury begins deliberations: What are the charges?:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/bridgegate_jury_deliberations_what_are_the_charges.html#incart_river_home The right person isn't on trial just yet.
*****And now it's in the hands of the jury-Bridgegate trial: Case lies in hands of the jurors :http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-case-lies-in-hands-of-the-jurors-1.1685373 Just have to wait. Hopefully it will be worth it.
343. Dissed in his old stomping grounds! Christie cast in new role on his old turf: http://www.northjersey.com/news/stile-christie-cast-in-new-role-on-his-old-turf-1.1685721 Not quite humiliated enough yet.
344. Whatever the cost, it isn't enough-What the Bridgegate Scandal Cost Gov. Christie:http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/11/03/opinion-what-the-bridgegate-scandal-cost-gov-christie/ and whatever the cost it pales in comparison with what he cost the State of New Jersey.
345. And speaking of costs...hmmmm-Christie's Taxpayer-Funded Lawyers Increase Work on Bridgegate Case:http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/11/03/christie-s-taxpayer-funded-lawyers-increase-work-on-bridgegate-case $14 million for a bogus report that paid off his dear friend to investigate him while also getting a substantial amount kicked back as campaign donations. Thank you suckers...I mean NJ taxpayers.
346. In all honesty, I didn't think I would ever make this entry-Bridgegate verdict: Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly guilty on all counts: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/bridgegate_verdict_bill_baroni_and_bridget_kelly_g.html Hopefully this will not be the end of the story (or the Christie Crime Digest!)
347. Let's take a trip back in time-This is a far more interesting read today than it was 3 years ago-Road Warrior: Closed tollbooths a commuting disaster : http://www.northjersey.com/news/new-york-tri-state-area/road-warrior-closed-tollbooths-a-commuting-disaster-1.639923 How different this all looks today. Wish I knew then what I know now.
348. The obituaries keep pouring in-The Bridgegate trial is over. So is Chris Christie’s political career, probably.:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/04/the-bridgegate-trial-is-over-so-is-chris-christies-political-career-probably/ Not enough!
*The hits keep coming-Is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's political career over?:http://www.nj.com/trending/2016/11/is_new_jersey_gov_chris_christ.html#incart_river_home I like the opportunity to post with the hashtag #Christieistoast !
**Hopefully the answer to this question is many sleepless nights and an ulcer-What the Bridgegate guilty verdict means for Chris Christie :http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/what_the_bridgegate_guilty_verdict_means_for_chris.html Oh, and a lifetime of disgrace for good measure.
349. This is a really compelling read-Tears, doubts, heated debate in Bridgegate jury room: http://www.northjersey.com/news/tears-doubts-heated-debate-in-bridgegate-jury-room-1.1688069?page=all Restores some faith in the concept that ordinary people can make a difference.
Are you smiling now Bridget? I didn't think so.
350.Hopefully its not over until the "fat lady" sings-In Bridgegate trial, Christie is the culprit who got away: http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/11/in_bridgegate_trial_christie_is_revealed_as_the_ba.html And the fat man squeals.
* This juror came to the conclusion that most of us have-Bridgegate juror: Christie should have been on trial:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/bridgegate_juror_christie_should_have_been_on_tria.html I'm not holding my breath but it would be nice-and it would be the right thing to do.
** The jury was definitely on to him-2nd Bridgegate juror said she believes Christie was involved, report says: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/2nd_bridgegate_juror_suspects_christie_involvement_1.html Lock Him Up!
351. At least he remains popular with the people of New Jersey-Christie's approval rating hits record low in N.J., poll finds : http://www.northjersey.com/news/christie-s-approval-rating-hits-record-low-in-n-j-poll-finds-1.1688848 19% and falling -Wow!
352.Christie on the beach-Christie tans while Island Beach homeowners burn:http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/07/christie_tans_while_island_beach_homeowners_burn_d.html What a complete horse's ass-but we already knew that.
353. Christie fights with a Cubs fan-oh brother-Let's settle this in the ring, Cubs fan tells Chris Christie:http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoinc/ct-christ-christie-fight-cubs-0802-chicago-inc-20170801-story.html I'd pay to see that fight.
354. Christie's approval rating hits 15%-Chris Christie’s Low Approval Rating Just Broke an All-Time Low: https://poll.qu.edu/new-jersey/release-detail?ReleaseID=2494 Does this mean that he knows every single person who approves of him?
355.He just can't help himself-just an ass- Testy Gov. Chris Christie argues with voter outside NJ polling place: http://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/testy-nj-gov-chris-christie-argues-voter-polling/story?id=50987973 One last parting shot.
I don't get no respect-no respect at all....
I'm on the beach and you're not!
= new reply since forum marked as read
Thanks Laxman 
Off to the greatest page for you
Let me get some popcorn and chocolates 
Between this and Mike Pence channeling Cheney, there's some gold stuff here! 
Yeeeeeeeeeees! 
rocktivity
Apparently they went to high school together.
I remember Christie downplaying their high school years because he, Christie, was a jock, & … I forget what he said about Wildstein, but Christie's words we're meant to belittle the guy & to exclaim he barely knew him. Though, Christie did appoint this near "stranger" an important & high level job in the Port Authority.
Sounded fishy then, and sounds fishy now.
of their own troubled water.
This is fun!! 
Which local NJ paper is laying off workers?
I doubt any of them can top your details
I mean, doesn't it prove that they were acting WITHOUT his knowledge or blessing?
rocktivity
But I've been public computer dependent lately!
However, rest assured that I will be downloading these articles in their entirety for perusal and comment!
rocktivity
this will be going on for some time!
Projection = ReTHUGs
I wish we had live coverage
Thanks
and diss their 'friendship' from way back when.
Sources close to governor Christie, speaking anonomously to reporters, have confirmed that the governor plans to mount an insanity defense in the "Bridgegate" trial and will submit his endorsement of Donald Trump as evidence of his diminshed mental capacity...
The decision on impeachment will be up to Democratic Speaker Vincent Prieto and if he gives the go-ahead, the Assembly Judiciary Committee would begin the process. It takes a majority of the 80-member Assembly to vote articles of impeachment. If it passes the Democrat-controlled body, the trial would be in the Senate, where two-thirds of senators would be needed to convict. Although Democrats hold a majority in the Senate, they would need three Republican senators to join them if all Democrats vote to convict...
I doubt this could happen within the last 16 months of Christie's term, even with the GOP votes -- but it's the thought that counts!
rocktivity
has proven to be very unlucky for Mr. Christie. Here is a summary of what Mr. Wildstein had to say today. A friend of mine who worked for him at the Port Authority once described him as "demented". Sounds like being demented was the standard qualification for working in the Christie Administration.
David Wildstein, the convicted felon who pleaded guilty for his role in the Bridgegate scandal, took the stand on Friday— and even after just two hours, his testimony was mind-blowing.
Wildstein was clear about his role at the Port Authority: he was "aggressive" and a "bad cop" who saw his mission from Day One as cadging Port Authority resources — from multi-million dollar projects to bits of burnt steel from the remains of the World Trade Center — to pursue Democratic endorsements for Gov. Chris Christie.
Where to begin?
1. Wildstein personally discussed with Christie using Port Authority resources to court Democrats.
Christie, you'll remember, has asserted he barely knew Wildstein. But Wildstein by his own admission was BFFs with Christie's inner circle, including Christie's former campaign manager, Bill Stepien (now national field director for Donald Trump's presidential campaign); Mike DuHaime, Christie's outside strategist; and Mike Drewniak, Christie's ex-spokesman.
From the day he took his job, Wildstein said, he understood that there was an active plan to court Democratic elected officials, as "Mr. Stepien had told me and discussed it with me, many times."
"Was the Port Authority going to be part of that strategy to court Democrats?" Wildstein was asked by prosecutor Lee Cortes.
"Yes," replied Wildstein, "the Port Authority was asked to play a role in securing those endorsements. I was asked by Stepien, and others."
"What others?" Cortes asked.
"Gov. Christie, and Ms. Kelly," Wildstein responded, referring to Bridgegate defendant Bridget Anne Kelly, who worked for Stepien.
2. By "Port Authority resources," Wildstein meant everything from big projects to bits of burnt steel from the World Trade towers.
Wildstein called his package of goodies, just that, "his Port Authority goodie bag." He aggressively pursued the strategy of delivering the pieces of steel to Democratic mayors. He pointed out to Kelly that only two elected officials had been given a private tour of the (then-closed) World Trade Center site, and that this might be "exciting" and "interesting" for Democratic mayors. He came up with an idea to fly 100 flags at the World Trade Center on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, and then attach to those flags a certificate that said, "One hundred flags flew over the World Trade Center on 9-11-11 at the request of Governor Chris Christie," signed by Port Authority Chair and Christie BFF David Samson.
"Who provided you direction on what towns would receive the flags?" Cortes asked.
Wildstein responded: "I sent all of the flags to the office of the governor and the office of the governor distributed them."
Did he have discussions about where to send them?
"Yes, he said, "with Mr. Stepien and Ms. Kelly."
3. The governor's office in Trenton kept meticulous record of this distribution of Port Authority assets.
Before Wildstein testified, we heard from Matt Mowers, a former Christie administration staffer who has rocketed through the New Hampshire GOP to the top of the Trump campaign. Mowers described creating a Google doc spreadsheet in October 2011, two years before Christie's reelection, titled "Democratic Targets."
Each official was ranked on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest, on the likelihood of getting their endorsement. (The Mayor of Fort Lee was a 4.) One of the columns was a list of favors: "PA events/money/steel/personal WTC tours." Then there were "game tickets" for the governor's box at MetLife Stadium or Prudential Center and meeting with the governor himself at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion.
4. Trenton made sure Wildstein kept his secrets. Wildstein acknowledged he almost never used government email addresses. "I had been instructed early on the preferable way of communicating was through personal email," he said. "What had been explained to me was that personal emails weren't discoverable in a Freedom of Information request."
"Who instructed him?" Wildstein was asked.
"I recall Mr. Stepien telling me that, Mr. Drewniak telling me that." (The Christie administration has been so secretive that numerous organizations, including WNYC, have had to sue to get records. In several cases, including Mowers' list of Democratic targets, the courts have ruled against us.)
5. Wildstein and Bill Baroni were so close they had their own special language.
"Prior to 2014," Wildstein said, "Bill Baroni was one of the closest friends I ever had." The two met in the late '90s and became campaign friends. They would speak via AOL instant messenger, later texting.
Wildstein went around ringing doorbells for Baroni's campaign and gave Baroni campaign advice. Baroni was one of the very few people who knew that Wildstein was the anonymous blogger "Wally Edge," who ran a New Jersey-insider political blog. Shortly after Baroni got his job at the Port Authority, he invited Wildstein in to be, as Wildstein put it, "the bad cop," because "Mr. Baroni didn't enjoy playing the bad cop, he enjoyed playing the good cop."
Their code included Baroni telling Wildstein to "Wally" something, which Wildstein described as "researching," though it more likely meant to dig up dirt. They referred to people as "winner of the day," from Wildstein's political blog, PolitickerNJ. Once Wildstein sent Baroni an email entitled "Schmuck of the day," about a GOP lawmaker who publicly criticized the Port Authority's Newark Airport. And then there was the "one constituent rule." They had one constituent, one person they did everything for: Chris Christie.
6. Wildstein knew he was "unpleasant," "aggressive" and "crazy."
At one point, Wildstein interviewed Kelly's father about a job. Kelly emailed him: "Don't hold me against him and my crazyness
"
Wildstein emailed back, "Do you presume to lecture me on crazyness? Frankly, I think the two qualities essential to this business are the "dead to me" gene and the "insanity gene."
Wildstein explained: "The insanity gene, specifically in New Jersey politics, we were all a little crazy, we were all a little dysfunctional."
"Including yourself?" Cortes asked.
"Yes. Including myself."
http://www.wnyc.org/story/christie-discussed-port-authority-resouces-endorsement-scheme-and-other-takeaways-bridgegate-trial-day-5/
Last edited Mon Sep 26, 2016, 12:39 PM - Edit history (1)
what he expects will happen if he fulfills his side of the bargain to testify truthfully.
“I have no expectation, I have only a hope. My hope is that I would not be sentenced to prison,” he said.
And I think that's as completely honest a statement that we're going to get out of him. If Wildstein has any saving grace, it's that he's brave enough to read the writing on the wall: He would accomplish nothing by protecting Christie because it's becoming crystal clear that there's no way Bridge(t)-Gate could have happened without Christie's blessing. The defendant who implicates Christie directly is the one who has any hope of not being sent to prison.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/wildstein_takes_the_stand_in_bridgegate_case.html
rocktivity
I'm not sure he would have done it if Christie hadn't dissed him so badly. I'm so lovin' it.
.
yes the governor is a lying weasel who ran a thug administration using the resources of the state for the advancement of his personal well-being. I guess that's not really a bombshell, is it?
The prosecution's star witness on Tuesday detailed how Gov. Chris Christie was told of the traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge in the midst of the gridlock.
David Wildstein, who pleaded guilty to federal crimes associated with the Bridgegate scandal and turned government information, testified he and Bill Baroni, Christie's top appointee at the Port Authority, boasted to the governor about the traffic jams when they saw him in person at a Sept. 11 memorial event in 2013.
"Mr. Baroni said, 'Governor I have to talk to you about something,'" Wildstein recalled.
"
He said) there's a tremendous amount of traffic in Fort Lee ... and you'll be pleased to know Mayor Sokolich is very frustrated," Wildstein said.
Wildstein said that he and Baroni boasted to the governor about not returning Soklolich's repeated phone calls.
Christie responded that he wasn't surprised that the Fort Lee's mayor "wouldn't be getting his phone calls returned," Wildstein said.
Prosecutors showed jurors a series of photographs of Christie talking to Baroni and Wildstein ahead of the ceremony at Ground Zero.
Port Authority Chairman David Samson, who was also at the Sept. 11 memorial, had also been told about the lane closure even before they happened, Wildstein testified during his third day on the stand in the so-called Bridgegate trial in federal court in Newark. He said he told Samson the lanes were closed to retailiate against Sokolich because he would not endorse the governor for re-election.
Previously, Wildstein's attorney had suggested publicly "evidence exists" that could implicate the governor had knowledge of the lane closures.
But Christie was never charged by federal prosecutors and has never been directly linked to the political revenge scheme and he has denied he ever had any knowledge of the plan.
However, Wildstein testified under oath the governor knew about the traffic jams.
According to Wildstein, Christie responded: "Well, I'm sure Mr. Edge would not be involved in anything political," referring to Wildstein's pseudonym as a political blogger, Wally Edge.
"Were you and Mr. Baroni bragging?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Cortes asked Wildstein.
"Yes, very much so," Wildstein said.
On Sept. 10, 2013, Wildstein told jurors he and Baroni discussed plans to ahead of the governor's visit to boast about the scheme.
"We intended to talk to Gov. Christie about the effects of the lane closures," Wildstein said. "Kelly had previously said to me the governor is going to love this."
Read the rest here: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/wildstein_bridgegate_christie.html
Besides, if it's true that Wildstein told him about the closures, what didn't he say, "What the heck are you talking about?"
rocktivty
He fired Kelly, but allowed Wildstein and Baroni to resign and only demoted Stepien. Why didn't he fire EVERYONE?
rocktivity
Well, it WAS very "responsible" of him to resign at their command rather than "step up" and resign voluntarily -- is Wildstein a "team" player, or what?
rocktivity
David Wildstein testified Wednesday (9/28) that two weeks after he started work at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 2010...Gov. Chris Christie's staff asked him to produce a list of authority employees so the Democrats could be purged.
Bill Stepien, Christie's deputy chief of staff at the time, told him to produce a list of Port Authority employees appointed by previous Democratic administrations...The Port Authority...has been accused of being a haven...for patronage hires...
A haven for patronage hires? I can't imagine why anyone would come to a conclusion like that. And I hope this will put to rest all of this nonsense about Christie being a fake bipartisan!
rocktivity
more Wildstein. More people knew about the lane closures. More denials from Christie. Riddle me this Batman, if, as Christie claims, there was always traffic at the GWB so Wildstein & Baroni mentioning it wouldn't have been noteworthy, why would these two knuckleheads have been giving him traffic updates on normal everyday conditions? Just idle small talk? What was he, like John Candy in Planes,Trains & Automobiles when they were driving the wrong way on the highway? Thank you very much....how do they know where we're going?
Bridgegate star witness David Wildstein continued to show the depths of his relationship with Gov. Chris Christie, and the extent to which he told Christie's top aides about the political nature of the lane closures. Here are your takeaways from day 8 of the trial:
1. Christie's spox knew — nine days before Christie said no one knew. Wildstein says he told Christie's spokesman, Michael Drewniak, about the true purpose of the lane closure scheme on Dec. 4, nine days before Christie roundly denied to reporters that he knew anything about it.
Under questioning from prosecutor Lee Cortes, Wildstein said he told Drewniak at a steak dinner that others in the governor's office had been involved in planning — had in fact approved the planning.
"And I relayed to him the conversation that I had had with Governor Christie on September 11th," Wildstein said.
"Did you tell Mr. Drewniak the true purpose of the lane closures?" Cortes asked.
"Yes, I did," Wildstein said. "Specifically that this was political retaliation to Mayor Sokolich for not endorsing Governor Christie's campaign."
Drewniak said otherwise in his own sworn testimony before the legislature in 2014, when he described Wildstein insisting he had done a "traffic study" at that dinner. Wildstein's lawyer said Wednesday that Drewniak stands by that testimony.
Drewniak now makes $150,000 a year as chief of staff for New Jersey Transit.
2. Christie called Wildstein "Mr. Wolf" at that 9-11 ceremony. On his "Ask The Governor" radio show, Christie denied everything Wildstein said on Tuesday: that he'd joked with Wildstein about the lane closures at a ceremony for the 12th anniversary of 9-11. But Wildstein twisted the knife in further on Wednesday, saying that when he brought two Port Authority employees to meet the governor at that ceremony, he jokingly referred to Wildstein as "Mr. Wolf," after the Pulp Fiction character Winston Wolf, played by Harvey Keitel, who cleaned up the bodies after crimes had been committed.
3. Christie personally told Wildstein to ax Democrats working at the Port Authority. In June 2010, Wildstein traveled down to Trenton and met with Christie and a half dozen top aides to go over a list of Democrats at the Port Authority that Wildstein had prepared at the behest, he said, of Christie campaign guru Bill Stepien. Stepien was then working as deputy chief of staff for Christie.
Under cross examination by Baroni attorney Michael Baldassare, Wildstein was asked, "You ever remember sitting with the governor with a list of names where he said, 'Gone, gone, stay, stay, gone, I'll get back to you?'"
"Yes, I do remember," Wildstein replied. "It was in the governor's office in the state house."
The defense is trying to prove that Wildstein was the point man and the decider, the "enforcer," as Wildstein acknowledged, and not Bill Baroni, the man on trial.
4. After everything, Wildstein still thought he was going to work for Christie's presidential campaign. He said that Stepien and DuHaime told him that he could lay low, then move over. "I had been told by others that I was still part of the team. That I was still valued as a member of the team. I was told at some point that Governor Christie was happy that I had stepped up and taken responsibility," he said.
Read it here: http://www.wnyc.org/story/bridgegate-conspiracy-widens-and-other-takeaways-bridgegate-trial-day-8/
Last edited Mon Oct 3, 2016, 11:55 AM - Edit history (1)
because they establish a direct chain of command between Christie and Wildstein, and even more important, that Christie KNEW that Wildstein was installed at the PA to be his political "fixer." So why SHOULDN'T we believe that they discussed a lane closure program with him prior to the 9/11 ceremony?
rocktivity
Last edited Tue Jul 4, 2017, 03:49 PM - Edit history (2)
proving it in court should have been a piece of cake...or should I say, a box of donuts?
Spoofing on the iconic white and green polka-dotted Krispy Kreme design, the box also featured the banner “Serving New Jersey Since 2010,” the year the Republican governor took office.
In a photograph obtained by The Star-Ledger, the box is shown on a table with other desserts.
Christie's spokesman, Michael Drewniak, made light of it, saying the intern simply took a cue from a late-night host 's recent quips about the governor...calling him "Christie Creme doughnut" among other names.
"I think this intern needed to leave the doughnut jokes to Jimmy Fallon," Drewniak said.
Renna testified how a group of interns was brought into the office and held a bake-off contest as a team-building exercise...One of the interns brought in a doctored box of Krispy Kreme donuts that said: "Christie Crème. Expanding Nationwide in 2016."
After a photo and story appeared on NJ.com and in The Star-Ledger, Renna said the governor and other high-level staff members "all freaked out" and came down on Kelly. But Renna found out the intern wasn't reprimanded.
"She won the [expletive] contest," she complained to a co-worker. "She didn't get into trouble."
Sure, the intern should have been a little more sensitive to Christie's weight issues and his playing coy about running at the time -- "EXPANDING nationwide?" But, as Renna said, she won the (expletive) contest. Was Renna upset that the intern didn't get into trouble because Kelly in turn "freaked out" and "came down" on HER? What were the presumably older and politically wiser "judges" overseeing the contest thinking, and how did the pic get leaked to the media? Christie and his immediate subordinates were right to came down on Kelly because it happened on her watch. But since Renna was mad at Kelly anyway, shouldn't the incident have made her happy -- or is she THAT good at holding grudges?
rocktivity
until he saw the pic in the media!
But aside from "How did the pic get into the media?", the big question is "Why was the entry allowed to enter the contest, never mind win it?" The intern should have been reprimanded (if not fired for being so obviously unqualified) by whoever supervised the contest if it wasn't Kelly herself.
And the only person who should have "come down" on Kelly was her immediate superior -- Christie's chief of staff. If "everybody" came down on her, this story takes on the same significance as the one about Christie referring to Wildstein as his designated dirty trickster: it suggests that the chain of command between Kelly and Christie was more direct than his organizational chart indicates.
rocktivity
Shit hits fan!!!
Last edited Thu Oct 13, 2016, 06:19 PM - Edit history (2)
the "dishonorable complaint filed by a serial complainer..."
Spoken like a truly dishonorable retributioner.
Source: NBC New York
rocktivity
<snip>
The danger of putting a defendant on the witness stand was on full display Tuesday as a prosecutor took a no-holds-barred approach to questioning the actions of a former ally of Governor Christie before, during and after the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal.
Under four hours of aggressive cross-examination from Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Cortes, Bill Baroni, the former deputy director of the Port Authority, alternated between expressing remorse for not having done more to expose the true nature of the lane closures and stating that he acted as best he could given the pressures put upon him by the Christie Administration.
As U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman looked on from the back of the courtroom, Baroni answered a barrage of questions that created an unflattering image of his character and poked holes in his version of events. Many questions seeking “yes” or “no” answers elicited lengthy explanations from Baroni, drawing frequent rebukes and cutting comments from Cortes.
“Mr. Baroni, if I want an explanation I will ask for one,” Cortes said at one point.
rocktivity
According to Baroni, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s office signed off on press statements released by the Port Authority’s New Jersey side...(H)e did not believe that Kelly was responsible for final approval of any Port Authority communications, but rather routed them through the governor’s office...
Did (Wildstein) report to you?" asked (the) defense attorney ..."He did not," Baroni replied. "He reported to Trenton." Trenton, he said, was Christie.
Wildstein responded to Baroni that he had run the meeting request by Kelly, the governor’s deputy chief of staff. But Kelly, who was in charge of relations between the Christie Administration and local officials, had not yet responded.
Baroni (was)...asked whether Kelly represented “Trenton,” shorthand for the Christie Administration. Baroni told the court: “The instructions from Trenton were going to come from Miss Kelly.”
Sitting at the defense table on the other side of the courtroom, Kelly shook her head.
It's a hot mess because it throws the "chain of command" issue right on the table: Baroni's in trouble because as Wildstein's alleged superior, he's caught between what he didn't know and what should have known. He didn't try to stop Wildstein because even if he'd had the authority to, he knew Christie approved of what Wildstein was doing. And during the infamous two-hour press conference, Christie said that Wildstein was "Baroni's hire" -- he had only granted Baroni "permission!"
But then again, this is what comes of being unable defend yourself without implicating someone else. There's a special legal term for it -- GUILTY.
rocktivity
Thanks
(Seventy) percent of New Jersey voters say they’re following somewhat or very closely...Fifty-two percent of those surveyed say there is sufficient proof that Christie knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closures and did nothing to stop them...
Christie (also) appears to be lowering his profile as a surrogate for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who the governor serves as a top adviser.
Today he gave a brief interview where he was asked about whether he is proud of how Donald Trump is running his campaign of late. His answer is pretty telling:
(Q:) Are you proud of the campaign he’s running?
CHRISTIE: Listen, it’s – for me, the person who needs most to be concerned about the kind of campaign they’re running is the candidate. Because it’s the candidate’s campaign. It’s not my campaign...(I'm a) surrogate...I’m proud of everything I’ve said and that’s all I can control. The rest of it I can’t...
Translation: I have done my best to reign in the crazy but it isn't working. I am not in charge so I am stepping back and letting Trump crash his own campaign and this interview will serve as proof that I was not in charge or taking ownership. Also, I am innocent of Bridgegate even though there is a lot of evidence that I did indeed conspire to do some shady sh*t and may be facing criminal charges. Thanks for not asking me about it.
Translation of the translation: ME in charge of controlling the crazy? It's been like we've been in a contest to see which of us is crazier. It's taken this long for someone to notice that putting me in charge of controlling the crazy is like putting me in charge of guarding the donuts?
rocktivity
Sitting at the defense table on the other side of the courtroom, Kelly shook her head.
And sitting on the witness stand, the person who put the Bridge(t) in Bridge(t)-Gate shook her pipes, singing better than Aretha Franklin and Adele combined.
Stagehand? She flatters herself -- she was a go-between between Christie and Wildstein because they both knew they'd need a fall guy.
"Run it by the governor" for what -- to introduce him to the idea, or to keep him informed of its development?
When...asked...to tell the jury the names of her four children, Kelly’s voice cracked...
Boo hoo and cue the violins!
Oh, and did the marriage collaspe before, during, or after her relationship with Bill Stepien?
Oh? I thought interfacing with local officials was her speciality. Besides, wouldn't the best way to provide Christie with an answer was to interface with Sokolich about the impending traffic study?
And with that testimony, she signed her own death warrant, if you'll pardon the expression. What she was "nervous" and "worried" about was being vulnerable to having left her own immediate superior out of the loop -- without his protection, she knew she was in big trouble!
...Kelly said it was “absolutely not” an order to block access to the bridge for retribution. The message was sent “in a very quick manner” using words that Wildstein had often used...“'Traffic problems' were just two words that went together when you talked to David about the Port Authority...If I (had) said 'time for a traffic study' in Fort Lee, we wouldn’t all know each other.”
That's true -- that is, not if the traffic study wasn't MEANT to cause traffic problems. But wasn't the point of Wildstein "getting" the message from her was that she had "got it" from Christie? Wasn't HE included in her "we all"?
(Her attorney) asked Kelly, “You’re afraid of the governor?”
With tears in her eyes, Kelly said, “Yes. Yes.”
“He’s a big tough guy, eh?”
“Yes,” Kelly said.
She lost her promise, but she hasn't produced the smoking gun: Did Christie specifically tell her to tell Wildstein to cause traffic problems in Ft Lee? Stay tuned...
rocktivity
:popcorn!!!
Kelly said she was in Christie's office as he recounted this conversation to a group of advisers...Christie and Cuomo have repeatedly insisted no such conversation took place.
So we DO have Christie dead bang on obstruction! It's why the Feds have been so blase about pinning the conspiracy on him -- they can pin the coverup on him!
rocktivity
Baroni testified, "...My phone rang. It was the governor...He said, ‘Bill I need you to do something for me.' He said, 'You call Bill Lavin and tell him the governor said go f-- yourself'... I said, 'I can’t tell a friend that.'"
The governor...said, "'You like your job?'" Baroni testified. So Baroni...called Bill Lavin...
Baroni...embarrassed Lautenberg with reams of data compiled by Wildstein, showing Lautenberg's frequent use of free toll crossings when Lautenberg was a Port Authority commissioner.
"Didn’t Chris Christie tell you to 'go down there and punch Frank Lautenberg in the face?'" (the) prosecutor...demanded. "You decided on your own you were going to talk to Frank Lautenberg in that way?"
"Gov. Christie gave me instructions, his instructions were pretty clear," Baroni replied. Christie, (the prosecutor) said, was "thrilled" with Baroni's performance .
He (also) testified that he saw Wildstein, as "cancer" within the agency who created a "culture of fear." But...Wildstein could not be fired because he was protected politically by then-Port Authority Chairman David Samson, a key ally of Christie.
But such terms as “the political shop,” as well as other testimony and evidence in the trial, have sharply contradicted those assertions and showed Stepien — who now works for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign — and his staff regularly mixing politics with policy, raising serious questions of ethics violations in the governor’s office and suggesting instances of quid pro quo..."
...and we're supposed to believe that the news of the lane closings hit him like a lighting bolt out of a clear sky?
rocktivity
which is where it belongs. Fabulous coverage as usual from you and rocktivity 
You should send copies to every library and university in the state. I want to buy your complete documentary
The best news - here endeth that scumbag's political career. ReTHUGs are shameless.
and I hope the prosecutors take the time to spell that out to the jury. Casey Anthony would probably be in jail today if her prosecutor had taken the time to spell out the differences between direct and circumstantial evidence -- and that they're equally valid.
But this isn't the final chapter only the beginning of his end. Here's hoping for Volume 5: Christie's Prosecution!
rocktivity
Is it wrong that I am smiling about the New York Times' poor choice of words?
rocktivity
Loyal lieutenants so intensely committed to Christie, they deliberately kept their loyalty a secret from him, LOL!
Glad to hear about the corroboration, since the jury could decide not to believe a single thing Wildstein says simply because they don't like him. But in turn, that certainly doesn't mean that the defendants are telling the truth by default!
Actually, what Baroni chose to do was obey Christie's orders: no point tipping him off about what he already knew -- especially since it was exactly was what he wanted.
Protégé, not social secretary. And don't forget that Kelly and Stepien also had a romantic relationship: so much for her frail, helpless, damsel-in-distress routine.
The best interests of Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly WERE the best interests of Chris Christie. Remember, they're being tried for the illegal things they did, not the reasons why they did them. So it's very clever of Cortes to place Christie squarely on top of the pyramid (a metaphor, not a weight joke) even though he was never charged or called as a witness.
rocktivity
AND the hard drive he took from your client, counselor!
Well, YOU didn't put him on the stand, either, counselor! What did YOU have to fear from Christie -- that he say that HE'D lied about approving your client's hiring of Wildstein?
That's TWO places. Well, three places when you include the hard drive Wildstein took from your client, counselor!
Everything the witness says is a lie; therefore everything the defendant says is true? Baldassare must have been playing hookey from law school when the lesson about the prosecution not needing to prove motive was taught. And the closing arguments of a trial isn't the best time for a jury to be learning that not all the facts have come to light...
rocktivity
Looks like Christie was looking to score some public relations points on the fourth anniversary of New Jersey's response to Hurricane Sandy:
Well, There's no reason to doubt that, is there?
“There will always be critics,” Christie said. “And I am happy to take the criticism. Because when you take the criticism that means you’re actually in a position to do something. The people most of the time who are hurling the criticism are the people who have never accomplished anything in their lives worth noting..."
The people who are hurling criticism at you in this case are also marking their fourth year of living in hotels or in damaged housing.
Giving Sandy money to towns who weren't effected by the storm, like New Brunswick and Belleville, is what should have been "complicated." How much of the $945 million he's received from Obama is he still sitting on -- and perhaps skimming the accrued interest? Since diverting to the 2016 GOP presidential campaign is no longer viable, maybe he's planning use it to balance New Jersey's budget.
Such a buzzkill. Anyhow, happy Hurricane Sandy anniversary, Governor Soprano!
rocktivity
Last edited Mon Oct 31, 2016, 05:28 PM - Edit history (1)
...Trump had not made his choice among Christie, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Most of his Trump’s advisers — including then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump’s two eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric — and GOP leaders pressured Trump to pick Pence...Christie contacted Trump and made his final, impassioned appeal on July 12.
“Trump had wanted Christie but Bridgegate would have been the biggest national story,” a...Trump source said. “He’d lose the advantage of not being corrupt.” Trump agreed to name Pence the next day and broke the news to Christie, saying it would “tear my family apart if I gave you VP,” a source said.
Well, seeing as one of Trump's in-laws has had it in for Christie for sending his father to jail, I'm still surprised that he had any kind of front-line involvement in Trump's campaign (unless the in-law's ulterior motive was to drop him from the highest pinnacle possible). Funny that this should land in the papers at the same time he was trying to score public relations points with the anniversary of hurricane Sandy...
rocktivity
And cue the violins -- here comes Bridget Kelly's closing arguments:
Cupping his hands as if holding a megaphone, Critchley nearly yelled, “Chris Christie, where are you?”
Kelly was “the odd person out,” he said. “The inner circle, they know what the code is: ‘Chris Christie knows nothing.’ Bridget Kelly has a different version, and that makes her dangerous. They want that mother of four to take the fall for them. Cowards. Cowards.”
Critchley reminded jurors...that the government didn’t call Christie...to testify because Kelly is telling the truth..
Hands up who didn't see a damsel-in-distress sob story coming. And what stopped the defense from calling Christie to testify -- the fact that his "telling the truth" that Kelly was the link in the chain of command between him and Wildstein would have incriminated EVERYONE?
rocktivity
The prosecution's rebuttal summation is due this afternoon.
Truth will out!
Khanna...(added) that Baroni changed his story about the traffic jams at least three times, including in front of a legislative committee probing the closures in 2013. He said emails and texts among the three co-conspirators corroborated Wildstein, including a text Kelly sent him during the week of the gridlock that read, "Is it wrong that I am smiling?"
..."Don't let them whitewash it," Khanna said. "It's as outrageous as it sounds."
According to Khanna, Wildstein has nothing to gain from lying about Kelly and Baroni’s involvement (and that he) has no motivation to “rack up" convictions...(Had) Wildstein had that incentive, he likely would have filled in gaps in his recollection with evidence incriminating higher-level figures mentioned in the trial like Governor Christie...
Khanna reminded jurors of the close personal relationship Baroni and Wildstein shared and said it “makes no sense” that Baroni wouldn’t know about the lane closures when Wildstein entrusted him with details on other sensitive matters in the last as both a friend and a superior at the bi-state agency...“They lied… when they thought no one was watching...”
Bridget will skate on everything but the wire fraud -- closing a bridge is men's work.
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especially if the emails were not exchanged on government servers.
But the jurors' questions have me suspecting that I'm on target about an effort to "rescue" Bridget. She was just the secretary; nice girls don't close bridges. Besides, how can you expect them to sleep at night if they effectively orphan her four children?
As for the conspiracy/intent question, does the jury believe Kelly and Baroni didn't have ANY "specific purpose", or that their purpose was something OTHER than punishing Sokolich...like, maybe, I don't know...obeying Christie?
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He hasn't shown up one day to find traffic cones blocking his locker?
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Last edited Thu Nov 3, 2016, 01:24 PM - Edit history (8)
Less than half an hour after I posted this:
Is (Kelly's lawyer) saying that it shouldn't be considered a conspiracy because they got caught?
I came across this:
Critchley said that Kelly, who sent a now-infamous email “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” cannot be prosecuted because her actions did not even violate Port Authority policies, let alone federal laws. He added that Kelly and Baroni are being prosecuted under a law usually used against people who commit theft or bribery, even though the pair did not benefit financially from the lane closures. He also argued that charges of violating civil rights are usually brought against people accused of using excessive force.
Baroni’s lawyer, Michael Baldassare, repeated many of Critchley’s arguments (and) also argued that Baroni was denied a fair trial because prosecutors failed to pursue evidence that could exonerate his client. In particular, Baldassare zeroed in on...a lengthy report in March 2014 exonerating the governor of blame for the lane closures. Instead of handing over its evidence to prosecutors, the firm redacted and withheld thousands of documents, and released massive collections of documents in large, unsearchable files...Gibson Dunn has billed the state $8 million in fees for its work...
The Mastro report potentially exonerating? It's null and void -- doesn't even exist, or so I've heard. Apparently they tried this tactic back in February, and it might have worked if they asked the right questions: did Gibson Dunn conspire to destroy the report, and did they do so with or without a proveable motive?
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Last edited Mon Aug 26, 2019, 03:20 PM - Edit history (2)
The request was made in a redacted application that gave no reason for the mistrial request. At the same time, assistant U.S. Attorney David Feder filed a separate motion asking the court to seal the record..."(b)ecause the filing refers to a matter that was addressed in a sealed courtroom on Nov. 2, 2016, and because its disclosure would complicate the court's efforts to ensure a fair trial..."
It was not known whether the issue involved the jury itself or another legal matter. But it came following a...dispute (about)...U.S. District Court Judge Susan Wigenton (telling) jurors they need not consider the politically inspired motive in the George Washington Bridge scandal in determining the the guilt or innocence of the defendants...
"While it is true that motive is not an essential element of every conspiracy, it is an essential element when the grand jury charges a defendant with conspiring to do so, and in fact, doing something he is authorized to do, but doing it for an improper purpose," (Kelly's attorney) wrote in his motion. He called it an error to instruct the jury otherwise, and that the court should correct it with re-instructions to the jury.
It is also true that the prosecution does NOT have to PROVE motive or intent -- EVER. Your clients have been charged with committing illegal acts, NOT with their motives for committing them.
Glad to hear about the request for a seal -- it saves the the defense the embarrassment, at least.
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The jury began reading its findings just before 11:30 a.m. and delivered their guilty decisions in rapid fire. Baroni and Kelly were charged on nine counts, and faced five of them together. The other four charges were split evenly, two each for the defendants.
Baroni stared at the jury stoically as the verdicts were read. Kelly cried and continued to sob as she heard the word guilty repeated time and again. Neither defendant stood as the verdicts were read...(They) face a maximum of 20 years in prison, but are likely to serve far less under federal sentencing guidelines...
I'm very pleased to hear that the defense "no motive, no crime" tactic failed, along with what I suspect was an effort among a juror or two to turn Kelly into a damsel in distress.
May there be a Volume Five or Six: "Christie's Prosecution!" with a side order of Gibson Dunn's prosecution, too!
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There's VERY believable evidence that Kelly was the link in the pipeline between you and Wildstein. But aside from that, you've got much bigger sins to atone for...
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Last edited Wed Sep 20, 2017, 11:34 AM - Edit history (1)
The man declined to describe the conflict, but he said that Wednesday “was probably the worst day” with the roots of the disagreement based on the impact the verdicts would have on the defendants’ lives.
If the defendants’ acts are determined to be illegal and criminal, convicting them is the jury's department. Determining and delivering the appropriate amount of "impact" of the verdicts on the defendants’ lives is the judge's department.
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Last edited Mon Nov 7, 2016, 06:01 PM - Edit history (2)
Christie gets a $95,000 a year expense account. In the state budget, it’s described as an “allowance to the governor of funds not otherwise appropriated, for official reception on behalf of the state, operations of an official residence, and other expenses.”
The governor is not required to provide receipts, refund surpluses or provide information to the state on how the money is used. But failure to report a “non-accountable” allowance to the Internal Revenue Service is a different matter.
Other New Jersey governors paid taxes on their allowances...Contrary to IRS rules, Christie did not declare the allowances as income on federal returns for 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2013...
“If it’s not public, then you’re not being accountable because it’s the public who decides whether or not you have a job,” said Bill Allison, senior fellow at Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit advocate for transparency in government. “I don’t know how they can be saying these are not public records and can’t be disclosed.”
The bills from January 2014, when the scandal broke, through the beginning of October bring the total cost for Gibson Dunn and its subcontractor, digital forensics firm Stroz Friedberg, to $11,278,532.20....
Twenty-eight Gibson Dunn attorneys contributed to Christie's presidential campaign, including one of the attorneys who interviewed him for the internal investigation...hosted a campaign fundraiser for him...(and) continues to bill the state for legal work on the case.
Huh? Wasn't Christie's self-exonerating and now somewhat nonexistent Bridge(t)-Gate report completed by April 2014 with an interim report in December? The cost was estimated at $7 million back then -- the inflation rate isn't THAT high!
In October 2015, the Christies disclosed that they earned nearly $1 million in income for 2014, much of that from First Lady Mary Pat Christie's income at...investment firm Angelo Gordon. In April 2015, (she) took an indefinite hiatus...when Christie ran for president...and has not returned...
Christie earns $175,000 a year, but is also given a $95,000 discretionary entertainment fund which is shielded from public disclosure laws and which the governor does not count as income...
A spokesman for the governor offered no explanation...saying in an email that "The Governor and Mrs. Christie will release their taxes when they are ready to do so."
Do the tax collectors agree that the discretionary entertainment fund is not income? Is their delay Christie's idea of showing solidarity for Trump? Or is the problem that his income can't be explained with a spouse who worked for only four months?
Not a good move at all, especially since Mrs. Christie is responsible for most of the bill. A review of HER finances could include a review of her Hurricane Sandy charity -- to which Jon Bon Jovi donated a million dollars after Christie signed a law he helped persuaded him to pass.
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Last edited Fri Dec 23, 2016, 02:46 PM - Edit history (1)
that he hasn't been able to rejoin DU because he doesn't remember the email he set up with account with ten years ago. He's asked me to hold the fort in the meantime...and in the meantime, Christie seems to regressed into a "mean girls" mode...
Dear Diary:
You should have see me on Charlie Rose last night! He wanted to discuss Bridge(t)-Gate and I gave him such a long overdue earful! I said I would have been "happy to appear at the trial" but now that it was over, "I'm not going to sit silent any longer" because "I didn't do anything wrong," the "what matters to me most is my reputation, and that's what I'm fighting for...I'm no longer going to be a punching bag on this." I bet THAT will get my poll ratings skyrocketing out of the high teens!
Dear Diary:
You are NOT going to believe this -- President-Defect Donald Trump has decided to make Mike Pence the head of his transition team! Mike Pence??? Since when do vice president-elects ever given responsibility to do anything??? Oh, and in case I didn't get the hint, they demoted -- NOT replaced -- the two guys I brought into the campaign with me. I'll bet that son-in-law of his is behind this -- just because I sent HIS father to jail! Where does he get off being such a vengeful, vindictive bully??
Dear Dairy:
Look at what that bastard Paul Muhshine wrote about me:
In the 1990 classic "Goodfellas"...Jersey's own Joe Pesci is told that he is going to become a made man in the Mafia. He is instead summarily dispatched with a shot to the back of the head because he did something that displeased the big boss. That's what happened to our governor last week - on a symbolic level of course.
Exactly what Christie did to upset Trump was not made public, but...My sources inside the Republican Party say that it was a collection of offenses...The people around Trump...concluded...that "Christie's all about Christie; he's not about you..."
That sounds a lot more like someting that Mulshine would say about HIMSELF -- why does he keep picking on me?
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Because he has no clandestine underlings to blame it on.
To help secure votes for the proposal...(a)ll 120 legislators would see a $30,000 increase in the size of their budgets for staff salaries, bringing the total to $140,000 per legislator. The legislators pay their chiefs of staff and other aides out of that annual allocation, an amount that has not increased in more than a decade. Legislators themselves continue to earn $49,000 and would not see a raise.
The bill could reach Christie's desk as soon as next Friday, the lawmakers said. Among other things, it includes a provision that adds book fees to the list of income state officials like Christie are allowed to receive. Current law prohibits such outside income while in office.
Under New Jersey state law, a sitting governor is barred from "receiving or agreeing to receive, whether directly or indirectly, any compensation, salary, honorarium, fee, or other form of income from any source, other than the compensation paid or reimbursed to him/her by the State for the performance of official duties." But that could change in the coming weeks or months.
Late last year, lawmakers worked on a deal that would rewrite the law to allow Christie to profit from a book deal in exchange for more money for legislative staff and judicial salaries..."We've got a lot of people working in these offices for far less than they'd make in the private sector, so if a bill comes up that lets the governor to profit from a book, and also increases the allotment for staffers, I'd certainly be open to it," said Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon...
Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) said his bill to allow Christie to profit from a book could again gain traction if the governor "really wants it," noting that Christie may become increasingly motivated with each passing week. "The clock is ticking with his circumstances," he said.
One (bill) the governor's office says could save money but critics warn could seriously hurt the state's newspapers. The other measure would loosen a state ethics law to allow Christie -- a Republican who is entering his second and final term -- to profit from a book deal while still in office. At the same time, it would allow millions of dollars in raises for high-ranking government employees that proponents say are long overdue. Both bills -- which have bipartisan support and are updates of past legislation that failed -- are being fast-tracked through the Democratic-controlled state Legislature.
Advocates say it would...save municipalities money...because (they) could post notices online and wouldn't need to spend anything on advertising...(T)he municipality would have to create a "notice website" that would have to be secure and searchable...cost(ing) money to establish and maintain...infrastructure, personnel and technology requirements...
The New Jersey Press Association estimates 200 to 300 jobs could be cut from the newspaper industry that's already reeling from a record decline in ad revenue if it loses public notice advertising...Christie has had a rocky relationship with the state's press.
It doesn't sound like his relationship with political expediency is doing well, either. Sure, the argument could be made that he ought to be able to write a book, and no doubt legislative raises are long overdue. But to turn them into Siamese twins -- at long last, has he no shame? And WHY does he still want to do the book? He no longer needs it as an instrument of national recognition. It's been about a year since his wife left her $750K part-time job -- maybe they're just hurting for money. But the real point is, each time he's tried to slip this deal through, the public has shouted it down for the smarmy backroom deal that it is...hmm, maybe Bridge(t)-Gate isn't the ONLY "rock" in Chrisite's relationship with the press!
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You would think that after barely getting out of Bridge(t)-gate alive, his public humiliation by the Trump regime, and his resulting low ratings, Christie would be a little more circumspect about being involved in anything for which he could be blamed directly. But noooo...
The measure is now likely to be considered by the full Senate and Assembly on Monday -- only a week after it was quietly introduced...It's unclear exactly how much money the plan would cost taxpayers. Because the measure is being fast-tracked, the state Office of Legislative Services has yet to prepare an estimate -- though the figure is likely to be in the millions...
It appears the book deal part of the bill would not cost taxpayers anything. But the measure would allow all 120 members of the Legislature to increase the salary allotments for their staff members...
And you would think that after barely getting out of Bridge(t)-gate alive, his public humiliation by the Trump regime, and his resulting low ratings, New Jersey Democrats would be jumping on him as though it were fourth and inches at the Super Bowl. Indeed, the bill was originally "introduced" by a Democrat:
But that was then, this is now. The Democrats are now in control of the state legislature, and Christie has neither political or moral credibility -- not to mention not having the support of the public. Why not just say no to him? Christie's "politics as usual" days are long since over!
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Last edited Tue Jul 13, 2021, 11:13 AM - Edit history (3)
The last time this came up, the Legislature's own researchers found that locals might not save a dime, and that it could even cost them more to handle the job themselves online...(L)ocal governments (that) don't use newspapers...will have to establish secure web sites and hire someone to process...and track...these ads...
So where did Christie get the $80 million figure?..."Multiple state agencies sampled public notices in all daily newspapers in New Jersey over a consecutive 30-day period extrapolating the data over 12 months..." the press office said...(The) League of Municipalities...say this number did not come from them...A survey answered by 147 towns, which tended to be smaller towns, showed the average cost to be just over $7,000...
This is not about saving money. This is the governor's attempt to exact revenge on newspapers, and the reason is that we...point it out when he lies. What's depressing to me is that the Legislative leaders are joining hands with him. It's part of a deal, all struck in the back rooms, as usual. And it was bipartisan...
But like that scene in The Wizard of Oz, the N.J. Dems finally realized that Christie no longer had absolute power over them and dropped a house -- specifically, a house of representatives -- on him!
"I am so disgusted with my colleagues," says Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Union). "There is no Democratic Party," says Sen. Loretta Weinberg. (D-Bergen). "Where are our core values?" asks Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex).
...(T)hey are (also) grumbling about the sweetheart book deal, too. Why waive an ethics law to allow the governor to profit from a book while he is in office? Hasn't he ignored his job enough? And the big question: What is the motive? What did Democratic leaders get in return for these big concessions to the most unpopular governor in the country? They got a raise for their staffs and judges, but is that all it takes? Is their price that low?
I asked. They won't say.
What is there to ask? Christie has lost his political leverage, that's all. He hasn't got the support of either the Democrat majority in the state legislature, President Trump, OR the voters. It is now "safe" to just say no to him -- especially when the public interest is hanging in the balance.
Democratic leaders of the Senate said they would not even discuss the bills until it was clear how the Assembly would vote...Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) announced he was postponing a vote on the newspaper bill and that the book measure would not be reconsidered.
...Christie...has often cut deals with Democratic leaders and party bosses to usher through legislation over the last seven years...
Negotiating is not legislating, and bullying is not bipartisanship. Ding, dong, the Christie deals are dead!
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President-elect Donald Trump (has) hired a political adviser (who) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie cut ties with two years ago in the fallout from the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal...Bill Stepien, Christie’s former political guru, will fill the position of deputy assistant to the president and political director.
“This is a real diss against Chris Christie,” ...Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray...(said)...“There’s no question that this whole appointment is dripping with irony.” Murray (added that) Stepien was Christie’s enforcer, and he assumes that he will fill that same function in the Trump administration...
Not surprising, particularly after Christie's attempt at "Duplicating Duh Donald" with a Twitter storm. But was an "expert" REALLY needed to figure this out???
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Last edited Mon Jul 17, 2017, 02:38 PM - Edit history (1)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10661400
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I want the book-could be called Beached!
