Press is Missing Another 'Smoking Gun' in the Christie Documents

[ProSense]

Press is Missing Another 'Smoking Gun' in the Christie Documents

by Park Slope Kid

At his press conference today Gov. Christie stated that before he went public with his initial denials around 4 weeks ago that his staff had nothing to do with creating a massive 4 day traffic jam in Ft. Lee, he asked two people to "interview each member of his senior staff" about any involvement in creating the traffic jam. Those two people were his Chief of Staff Kevin O-Dowd and his Chief Legal Counsel Charlie McKenna. They reported back to him that nobody on his senior staff had any information about the traffic jam.

But it turns out there's a document already released that show's that Charlie McKenna was almost certainly directly involved the in the scandal from the beginning.

Take a look at page 20 from the released documents. It involves a list of text messages sent back and forth between Bill Baroni and David Wildstein on November 25, 2013. The gist of the messages is that Baroni feels like he's not getting enough credit for his role in shutting down the local access lanes. Here is an excerpt:

(11/25/13 11:58 AM) David Wildstein: You did great
(11/25/13 11:59 AM) Bill Baroni (6094687069): Trenton feedback
(11/25/13 11:59 AM) Bill Baroni (6094687069): ?
(11/25/13 11:59 AM) David Wildstein: Good

(11/25/13 11:59 AM) Bill Baroni (6094687069): Just good? Shit
(11/25/13 12:00 PM) David Wildstein: No I have only texted brudget and Nicole they were VERY happy
(11/25/13 12:00 PM) Bill Baroni (6094687069): Ok
(11/25/13 12:00 PM) David Wildstein: Both said you are doing great
(11/25/13 12:06 PM) David Wildstein: Charlie said you did GREAT

Notice the last line. "Charlie said you did GREAT."

Who is Charlie? The only senior staff member with that name is Charles McKenna, Gov. Christie's Chief Legal Counsel (they go all the way back together to the US Attorney's office). The same "Charlie" McKenna who Christie stated today was one of the two people who interrogated his staff and assured him nobody was involved.

Except, of course, there is real evidence showing that "Charlie" was well aware of this scandal as far back as Nov. 25, 2013 and likely much earlier.

It's too bad the press is sleeping on this potential smoking gun. If this goes all the way to Christie's longtime friend and Chief Legal Counsel it's nearly impossible to believe that Christie had no knowledge of his staff's involvement until yesterday morning.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/09/1268501/-Press-is-Missing-Another-Smoking-Gun-in-the-Christie-Documents

No One Believes Christie
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024307011

[Bjorn Against]

1. This certainly looks like a good lead

I don't know that I would call it a smoking gun in the way yesterday's e-mails were smoking guns, but it certainly gives people reason to look into this Charlie McKenna.

[tridim]

2. This thing is rockin and rolling right along. Have a great fall, Christie.

[Laxman]

3. That was the day Bill Baroni Tesitfied...

before the same committee Wildstein was in front of today. No doubt that was a text exchange between Wildstein & Baroni as he was returning from Trenton. What it shows is how closely the Christie inner circle was watching and monitoring what was going on.

[riverwalker]

4. who is Nicole?

Is it Nicole Davidman, Christie's campaign finance director? She is married to Michael Drewniak Christie's press secretary.

[pnwmom]

6. Was Drewniak one of the ones who resigned?

How come no one's asking for Nicole to resign?

[Laxman]

8. Drewniak is the Administration's Spokesperson...

he's the guy who does all the talking to the press. Never without some kind of obnoxious comment. He is Christie's mouthpiece (for things Christie isn't saying himself) like he actually needs one.

Nicole is likely Nicole Crifo from the Authorities Unit. A liason to indenpendent authorities for the governor's office, likely assigned to the Port Authority at the time this happened.

[pnwmom]

9. So Nicole hasn't been fired because she was probably working for the Port

Authority -- so she wasn't one of the ones who committed the unpardonable crime of lying to Christie?

[Laxman]

11. No. She works for the governor's office.

The Authorities Unit is a group of usually attorneys who are the governor's watchdogs at the many independent authorities. They go to the meetings and report back on what is going on. The Port Authority, the Meadowlands Commission, the Pinelands Commission, The Highlands Commission, the Delaware River Port Authority and several other independent commissions conduct different types of functions in the state. They're supposed to be independent. This governor tries to influence them way too much. Nicole is the person assigned to watch the Port Authority.

[pnwmom]

15. So you would think he'd have talked to his P.A. watch dog, wouldn't you?

Somebody seems to be lying here.

[rocktivity]

32. If this Nicole person reports directly to Christie (as does McKenna)

then Governor Soprano is in BIG trouble -- and that's not a fat joke.

rocktivity

[Laxman]

33. She doesn't but does work in the Governor's Office

She reports to the Director of Authorities in the governor's office. She sits in authority meetings and texts back everything that goes on directly to the governor's office. She's the spy who makes sure everyone is toeing the line.

[riverwalker]

12. hope someone is looking into who Nicole is

and why she is so VERY happy.

[Laxman]

16. Its Got To Be Nicole Crifo

She's been at all of the Port Authority meetings for the past year.

http://www.panynj.gov/corporate-information/pdf/pa_finance_minutes_9_18_2013.pdf

[pnwmom]

17. And who are the "they" who are also happy?

[Laxman]

18. They....

are Bridget Kelly & Nicole Crifo. Most telling is how concerned Baroni was with the reaction from Trenton to his testimony!
There must be texts between Wildstein and Bridget Kelly & Nicole Crifo where they expressed their assessment of Baroni's testimony that weren't turned over.

[riverwalker]

7. she was also NJ State GOP fundraiser

the way he answers: Bridget AND Nicole were happy, as if they were equally instigators....

David Wildstein: No I have only texted brudget and Nicole they were VERY happy

[pnwmom]

10. So a NJ state GOP fundraiser was in on this, too?

LOL. This story has legs, still. It's not over by a long shot, no matter how sad Christie is.

[riverwalker]

13. dunno yet

just trying to figure out who Nicole is.

[Whisp]

27. brudget... is that a cross between a budgie and a bridge?

cross this bridge with that budgie.

[pnwmom]

5. Wow. So why hasn't he fired Charlie McKenna?

Or whichever Charlie that is?

By the way, does anyone know who Nicole is?

[rocktivity]

31. Christie hasn't fired McKenna because he reports directly to Christie

Governor Soprano can't pull this off unless his inner circle is "clean": if no one who reports to him directly knew anything, then there's no way that HE could know, right? Which makes Charlie McKenna's first name coming up in the documents a BIG problem.

If McKenna knew something, why didn't he tell Governor Soprano -- because he'd have been telling him something he ALREADY knew?


rocktivity

[cheyanne]

14. What kind of investigation is that?

He asked his chief advisers to query his staff.

They said no ones involved.

Response from Christie should have been:

Well, find out who did and get me their head on a platter.


Here Christie is getting crucified by the scandal. . . and that's his investigation.

So when Christie goes back to the press and says "Nobody here knows nothing", he gets mad that they don't believe him.

But the press doesn't seem to know enough about human nature to ask the right questions.

It almost sounds like the press was afraid of Christie . . .

[calimary]

23. Welcome to DU, cheyanne!

Glad you're here! It wouldn't surprise me if the press was also afraid of christie. The White House Press Corpse (as we were calling them during bush/cheney) was certainly afraid of rocking the boat with that bunch of vermin. Why? Oh Dear GAWD we don't care rock the boat!!! We'll lose our ACCESS!!!!!!!

[ProSense]

19. Some of Christie's potential felonies

Some of Christie's potential felonies
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/09/1268445/-It-s-always-about-Chris-Christie

Good read

[Eleanors38]

20. Why is this? Well, MSM does say he is a bully. nt

[tom_kelly]

21. His next move

will be back to Mendham and he'll hang a shingle in Morristown. He'll just be another guy.

[calimary]

25. Welcome to DU, tom_kelly!

Good to have you with us! I'm wondering if he might wind up in the big house rather than the White House. One of the many things that was spoken tonight on MSNBC was the repeated musing about why christie didn't ask his staffers what happened. Why did he just go ahead and fire Bridget Kelly and that was enough - that she lied to him and he need go no further. HUH????? And he'd been a hard-nosed prosecutor at one time? Seriously? Didn't ask 'em anything? Now, a month ago, OR back in September? HUH????? All the open speculation about why he seemed so disinterested in pursuing this and getting to the bottom of it started me wondering if it's because he himself is at the bottom of it.

Takeaway Number One: Just don't trust ANY republi-CON. ANY of 'em. High-level or low. Chief exec OR peon. Big-shot or small-fry. It's simple, proven, and time-tested. If there's an "R" after their name, they are NOT to be trusted.

[rocktivity]

22. Yep, and Rachel just closed her show by saying that O'Dowd is up for

-- WAIT FOR IT!!! -- New Jersey attorney general!

Which gives him the same credibility problem as Christie: either he was too incompetent to conduct a proper investigation of the senior staff, or his mission was just a formality because he and Christie knew all about it.

Talk about the fox guarding the hen house -- how would you like to AG O'Dowd investigating all this officially? Call in the feds!


rocktivity

[arthritisR_US]

24. Hope the MSM keep sniffing and exposing. nt

[SunSeeker]

26. K & R

[Firebrand Gary]

28. There is the lynchpin. He's fucked!

"Charlie" knowing proves what everyone else already knows and few people suspect, Christie was in on it the whole time. Steve Schmidt admitted on Lawrence O'Donnell this evening that if this story goes any higher, Chris Christie's political career is finished. Higher meaning, any higher than the Deputy Chief of Staff. His legal council, might as well have been his wife.

Now, where does Chris Christie's Chief of Staff, Kevin O'Dowd fit in?

[giftedgirl77]

29. Phone Numbers were publushed?

Correct me if I'm off on this but in my experience with FOIA & PII numbers are usually redacted? I'm just curious if anyone knows...

[Cha]

30. Christie's clean.. he doesn't "know" Chief Legal Counsel Charlie McKenna.

I can't imagine Shawn Buborg is "sleeping on this".. Mr Local Reporter who's been like a dawg with a juicy bone that won't quit!

Thanks PS