Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Looks Like Humpty Dumpty Is Falling Off A Bridge-- Will Chris Christie Resign?

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"They are the children of Buono voters."

When Blue America endorsed Barbara Buono for governor of New Jersey last year, it wasn't because she's pretty and it wasn't because she's a Democrat. It's because she's an outstanding, principled progressive and because she was running against the corrupt transpartisan New Jersey political machine headed by one of America's worse governors ever, Chris Christie. New Jersey voters, basking in their ignorance and pigheadedness, elected Christie 1,252,100 (60.4%) to 790,245 (38.1%). Hudson County (Jersey City, Bayonne, Hoboken, Union City) was the only county Christie lost. Bergen County was more typical and it gave Christie the most votes of any county in New Jersey, 128,950. For comparison's sake Obama beat Romney in Bergen County 193,470 (55%) to 155,267 (44%).

Ever since Rachel Maddow broke the story about Christie and the George Washington Bride-- which all the other national networks obstinately ignored-- we've been keeping an eye on it here, happily aware that this could be Christie's undoing. This could keep the only Republican candidate polling anywhere near Hillary Clinton for 2016, out of the race. In fact, after today's revelations, Christie may have to consider resigning as governor. "Time for some traffic problems." Really?
A top aide to Gov. Chris Christie told an executive at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey it was "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" before the authority closed lanes onto the George Washington Bridge in September, triggering a week of massive traffic jams, documents show.

The aide, Bridget Anne Kelly, sent the email, dated Aug. 13, to David Wildstein, a political ally of the governor who was the authority's director of interstate capital projects.

Mr. Wildstein, replied: "Got it."

The email exchange is the clearest sign that a series of lane closures on the bridge in September were carried out at the behest of high-ranking members of Mr. Christie's administration. It is in contrast with the original explanation for the closures-- that they were part of a mishandled traffic study by Mr. Wildstein, a career political operative and friend of Mr. Christie's for years.

Democrats have suggested the lane closures were a political gesture from allies of the governor, aimed at Fort Lee's Democratic mayor, who had declined to endorse Mr. Christie for reelection.

The email exchange is contained in a trove of documents subpoenaed from the authority, Mr. Wildstein, and others as part of a Democrat-led investigation of the incident by the New Jersey Assembly Transportation Committee. The documents were reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

In the past, Mr. Christie has dismissed the inquiry and the traffic incident, once joking that he himself had moved the traffic cones to close off the lanes usually dedicated for local traffic coming onto the bridge.

But the controversy has deepened since then. Mr. Wildstein and Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director and Mr. Christie's top managerial appointee at the authority, both resigned, though Mr. Christie suggested their resignations weren't directly linked to the bridge flap.

…The documents also show Mr. Wildstein discussing the controversy with Bill Stepien, Mr. Christie's campaign manager, after the flap was reported in the Wall Street Journal.

"It's fine. The mayor is an idiot, though," Mr. Stepien wrote to Mr. Wildstein after a Journal story on the controversy in September. "[Win] some, lose some."

"I had empty boxes ready to take to work today, just in case," Mr. Wildstein wrote. He added, in an apparent reference to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich: "It will be a tough November for this little Serbian."

In the documents, Mr. Wildstein assures Ms. Kelly in an email that he will keep her informed of "how Fort Lee goes."

The documents also show Mr. Wildstein and Mr. Baroni declining to return calls from Mr. Sokolich on the first morning of the closures, in which he complains about "an urgent matter of public safety in Fort Lee."

"Did he call him back?" Ms. Kelly writes to Mr. Wildstein in an email, after Mr. Wildstein forwarded Mr. Sokolich's message left with Mr. Baroni.


"Radio silence," Mr. Wildstein replied, adding a reference to the mayor of Jersey City, with whom the Christie administration has tussled. "His name comes right after mayor Fulop."

Ms. Kelly replied one minute later: "Ty," a shorthand for thank you.

The documents include a series of text exchanges sent during the lane closures, which were provided to the committee by Mr. Wildstein's attorney and contained large blocks blacked out text.

The text exchanges show Mr. Wildstein conversing with various individuals, whose identities aren't always clear.

"I feel badly about the kids," one text reads, sent at 8:05 a.m. on the second morning of the closures. Fort Lee officials have said that school buses were severely delayed by the traffic jams.

"They are the children of Buono voters," someone replies. Barbara Buono was Mr. Christie's Democratic opponent in the race for governor.
You want this piece of shit and his staffers running the country? Or even just the NSA?


UPDATE: Christie Finally Makes A Statement-- Disingenuous, But Still A Statement



Of course, that leads people to point out that it has been Christie's notorious cult of bullying that encouraged his staffers-- whether or not that were getting orders from him directly (and my gut is 100% positive that they were)-- to bully New Jersey residents and other New Jersey elected officials, whether Serbs or Croats.

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9 Comments:

At 10:51 AM, Blogger Grung_e_Gene said...

Resign?!? Ha. No...

 
At 2:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Quote (Maddow?): "Democrats have suggested the lane closures were a political gesture from allies of the governor, aimed at Fort Lee's Democratic mayor, who had declined to endorse Mr. Christie for reelection."

Assuming there are other mayors who also did not endorse Gov. Beached whale, are THEY being identified and contacted to see what strange things have come to pass in their areas?

I seriously doubt Gov BW would resign and, unfortunately, the more of his dirty tricks that are revealed the more attractive he will become as a candidate to the blithering jerkwads who matter.

John Puma

 
At 5:55 AM, Anonymous me said...

Will Chris Christie Resign?

Not a chance. The only reason that self-absorbed jerk would resign is as a last-ditch effort to keep his ugly carcass out of jail.

I can't understand why anyone would vote for this prick. I hated him the minute I first heard him speak.

 
At 6:00 AM, Anonymous me said...

And another thing, speaking of jail. Why are these Christie aides being allowed to resign? Why aren't they going to jail? Why aren't they facing civil suits from tens of thousands of commuters, and from the family of the woman who died because the ambulance couldn't get to her?

 
At 6:00 AM, Anonymous me said...

And another thing, speaking of jail. Why are these Christie aides being allowed to resign? Why aren't they going to jail? Why aren't they facing civil suits from tens of thousands of commuters, and from the family of the woman who died because the ambulance couldn't get to her?

 
At 9:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

So a simple issue is now National news....this is very sad indeed. NJ politics are pretty bad but its both parties. Our founding fathers are rolling in their graves....Hopefully after the presidents is out of office may some order and decency come back to the American people. This is a clown car, please let me out at the next stop!

 
At 1:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The first day of the lane closures was September 9th. September 11th was day three, when alarm bells were ringing all over Fort Lee. The George Washington Bridge is one of the major arteries bringing traffic into and out of New York City. This fat prick pulled a Nixonian Rat Fuck on 9/11. Congratulations, it took three decades, but you now officially the largest Ratfucker in modern history.

 
At 1:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, I forgot, please attend the next 9/11 anniversary. The smell will be shit on your shoes. A functional press would make this large connection.

 
At 11:51 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The way I see it... If he knew about it, prison time. His stuffers, prison time for sure. If he didn't know about it, which I doubt, he should resign.

 

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