Showing posts with label mark sokolich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mark sokolich. Show all posts

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Bridgegate: Christie Cronies Kelly, Baroni and Wildstein Indicted

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Previous Related Posts:
Christie Talks, Bridget Strikes Back, Samson Quits, Wildstein Still an Outcast
Christie's Bridgegate Report - Time for some Slut-Shaming in New Jersey
Christie Faces Bad Karma for Dissing Wildstein
Chris Christie and the #BridgeGate #BridgeGhazi #BridgeNado
Chris Christie Explains But Holes Remain
David Wildstein Implicates Chris Christie in Bridgegate Scandal
Christie's Well-Named Minion Bridget Kelly


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Federal prosecutors have indicted three of Chris Christie's cronies in the Bridgegate scandal: David Wildstein and Bill Baroni who were appointed by Christie to the Port Authority, and Bridget Ann Kelly, one of Christie's underlings in the Governor's office.

Wildstein is cooperating with Federal Prosecutors and is not expected to serve a long sentence in exchange for information. Baroni and Kelly are still holding out that they didn't conspire with Wildstein or Christie himself to close the George Washington Bridge on the first day of school in September in order to punish mayor of Fort Lee, NJ (a Democrat) for refusing to back Governor Christie in his election.

Originally, the trio and others in the Governor's inner circle swore that there was a "traffic study" to blame for the lane closures, but that was a bogus claim. On the first day of the closure, Kelly herself wrote to Wildstein in a now-infamous email which stated "Time for a few traffic problems in Fort Lee." Traffic was so snarled that some first responders and emergency vehicles were delayed in getting to places where people needed help. It is speculated that Federal Prosecutors are are involved because the Port Authority is shared by New York City, and blocking such a major thoroughfare in or out of New York is considered a danger to Homeland Security.

View David Wildstein's Plea Agreement Here
 View Baroni-Kelly Indictment Here via NYTimes

From NewJersey.com
In emails previously made public, Kelly appeared to give the go-ahead for the lane closures on Aug. 13, 2013, when she wrote: “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” and Wildstein replied, “Got it.” Later emails showed what appeared to be an indifference to the plight of borough children stuck in the massive traffic jam on their way to school.
. . . “Is it wrong that I’m smiling,” Kelly wrote, later adding that “I feel badly about the kids. … I guess.” Wildstein responded dismissively that “they are the children of Buono voters.” After Sokolich sent a text message to Baroni complaining that children were late getting to school, Kelly emailed Wildstein: “Bottom line is he didn’t say safety.”
. . . Prosecutors said the plan wasn’t put into effect until Sept. 9, the first day of school, to “intensify Mayor Sokolich’s punishment,” and that the idea to push it back came from Baroni, who had “recommended against implementing the plan in August when travel was traditionally lighter and the punitive impact would be lessened.”

This week Bridget Kelly made a public statement pleading innocence:



From NewJersey.com
"I am not guilty of the crimes for which I have been accused," Kelly said during a press conference with her attorney, Michael Critchley, after prosecutors unsealed a federal indictment. . . . "David Wildstein is a liar," Kelly said.

Baroni did not speak, but his attorney made a statement also labeling Wildstein a "Liar" who led his client astray with false "traffic study" documents:

NJ.com
. . . one of Baroni's attorneys, Michael Baldassare, asserted that Wildstein provided him with scores of documents that "would lead anyone to believe" that a legitimate traffic study was being conducted.
"No one disputes that David Wildstein is a criminal and a liar," Baldessare said during a news conference Friday afternoon outside the courthouse. "If David Wildstein was willing to repeatedly lie to settle a petty political grudge, no one should be surprised at his eagerness to concoct any story he thinks will help him stay out of federal prison."
























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Friday, January 10, 2014

Christie Bridge-Splains but Holes Remain


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Previous Related Post:
Chris Christie and the #BridgeGate #BridgeGhazi #BridgeNado

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Chris Christie attempted to put all answers to rest in a marathon epic press conference yesterday, painting himself as an unhappy victim of staff treachery, and promising that heads would roll. But many questions remain. How could the Governor NOT know what his top capos were doing in regard to closing the bridge to Ft. Lee New Jersey on purpose to create traffic mayhem? Why does Christie continue to insist that there was a "traffic study" when no evidence of such a study exists? And why did he wait from September till now to get to the bottom of this story?

I think we've seen just the tip of the iceberg on this story. The investigations are just beginning.

I am not a Bully.
~ New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 1-9-14

From USA Today:
Christie's apology:

"I come out here today to apologize to the people of New Jersey. I apologize to the people of Fort Lee and I apologize to the members of the state Legislature. I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team."

Regarding deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly:

"I terminated her employment because she lied to me. … I have not had any conversation with Bridget Kelly since the e-mail came out. And so she was not given the opportunity to explain to me why she lied because it was so obvious that she had. And I'm, quite frankly, not interested in the explanation at the moment."

. . . On his feelings about the scandal:

"I'm sad. I'm sad. That's the predominant emotion I feel right now is sadness, sadness that I was betrayed by a member of my staff, sadness that I had people who I entrusted with important jobs who acted completely inappropriately, sad that that's led the people of New Jersey to have less confidence in the people that I've selected."



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From Politico
A panel of New Jersey state lawmakers voted to hold an ally of Gov. Chris Christie in contempt after he pleaded the Fifth Amendment on Thursday at a hearing on the George Washington Bridge scandal that has engulfed the governor.
. . . “On the advice of counsel, I assert my right to remain silent,” Wildstein said in response to several questions from Chairman John Wisniewski at the beginning of the hearing on Thursday.
. . . Members of the panel peppered Wildstein and his lawyer with questions, ranging from why Wildstein apparently was using his personal Gmail account to discuss the lane closures to what references to “Serbia” meant in some of the messages. (They are believed to be disparaging references to the mayor of Fort Lee, who is actually of Croatian heritage.)
Wildstein, however, refused to answer the questions.



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It just strains believability that someone who is such a micro-manager spent a great deal of time today to tell us that he isn't. But we all know that's not true. To say that there are "rogue operators" in his administration - look, it says one of two things: that he was entirely duped and misled by his organization and he doesn't know what's going on, or he's not telling us the truth.
~ Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski D-NJ, Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee on NJTV News (my transcript)

I find it four months too late. I find it really astounding that the Governor could stand in front of the citizens of the state of New Jersey and claim that this is the first time he understood the magnitude of this problem. I've been going to Port Authority meetings for almost four months raising this subject. His two top appointees at the Port Authority resigned because of this subject a month or so ago. The Exec. Director of the Port Authority did an email which said laws were broken here, this was in contradiction to every process known to the Port Authority. The Governor never thought to question anything up until now?
I remember his first reaction quite well - he attacked Assemblyman Wisniewski and me, that we were "fixated" somehow. Then he moved on to kind of make a joke "It's no big deal."
. . . It's difficult for me to believe that Bridget Kelly sat in her office one day and suddenly out of the sky, hitting her in the head was "Oh, I know - let's create a traffic jam."
~ NJ Senator Loretta Weinberg on NJTV News (my transcript)

Two hours of explaining. When you're explaining, you're losing, there's no question about that. This is not about emails, this is not about moving cones here and there. This is not a joking matter. The Governor attempted to make himself the victim today. The victims are the people who live in Fort Lee, New Jersey. They're the only victims.
. . . So this thing unfolds like the onion. And here it is, we're pushing back, peeling that onion and learning more and more. Today it doesn't surprise me that Wildstein takes the Fifth Amendment on even the inane questions.
. . . And if they think this is the end of it, they're mistaken. This is the beginning of it.
~ Rep. Bill Pascrell D-NJ on Hardball (my transcript)



A New Theory Emerges from Rachel Maddow on MSNBC:

In a nutshell from Daily Kos:
Rachel Maddow has advanced a new theory on the rationale for the Fort Lee lane closures. Using the date on Bridget Kelly's orginal email to Christie's Port Authority henchmen she posits that the reason was not the Mayor's non endorsement of Christie but instead retaliation against State Senator Loretta Weinberg who represents Fort Lee. Apparently Christie and New Jersey Senate Democrats have been feuding on State Supreme Court nominations and Christie exploded at them on this issue in an August 12th press conference the day before Kelly's email that started the ball rolling for the Fort Lee traffic nightmare.












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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Chris Christie and the #BridgeGate #BridgeGhazi #BridgeNado

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What did New Jersey Governor Chris Christie know and when did he know it? Call it what you will - BridgeGate - or Bridgeghazi, BridgeNado, or A Bridge Too Far, or Bridge Over the River Hubris - all of those are monikers for the plot to close lanes of the George Washington Bridge to Fort Lee, New Jersey, apparently hatched by Christie staffers in retaliation for a lack of endorsement from the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee. And the whole controversy is casting a new pall on Christie's chances of being the "last best hope" of a non-Tea Party candidate in the GOP Presidential Primary in 2016.

From Huffington Post
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) deputy chief of staff was directly involved in a mean-spirited effort to create "traffic problems" for a mayor who declined to endorse the governor's reelection bid, according to newly released emails.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly wrote in an email on Aug. 13.
"Got it," replied David Wildstein, who was then one of Christie's top aides at the Port Authority, which is run jointly by New York and New Jersey.

A month later Wildstein did indeed create the traffic problems that Christie's office requested. He closed down two of Fort Lee's access lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the country. The closures came on Sept. 9, the first day of school in Fort Lee, leading to massive traffic jams as bridge traffic backed up into local streets. As a result, police and emergency vehicles were delayed in responding to reports of a missing child and a cardiac arrest.

Text Messages:
MAYOR SOKOLICH: Presently we have four very busy traffic lanes merging into one toll booth….The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Help, please. It’s maddening.

PERSON A: Is it wrong that I’m smiling?

WILDSTEIN: No

PERSON A: I feel badly about the kids

PERSON A: I guess

WILDSTEIN: They are the children of Buono voters

***Click This Link to Read More Emails/Texts between Christie Staff Members Concerning the Bridge Closure at NorthJersey.com




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I worked the cones, actually. ...I was in overalls and a hat. I was the guy working the cones.
~ Gov. Christie on December 2, 2013 mocking a reporter's question about the bridge situation in Fort Lee

I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better.
~ Statement from Chris Christie after emails of staff were revealed today

God Bless the Local New Jersey Newspapers who stuck with this story.
. . . We in the National Press owe them credit for opening this most amazing can of worms. Without them and their persistence in the face of stiff resistance, the nation might have never heard the words "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Without them it would have been just another local traffic jam story. Now it's anything but that.
~ Rachel Maddow on MSNBC

He is the worst example of bully and boss. And this string of e-mails clearly exposes a web of deceit, subterfuge and arrogance leading straight to Chris Christie.
~ Barbara Buono, Democratic candidate for Governor against Christie in 2012

Trenton, we have a problem.
~ Chris Matthews on Hardball

This is just a window into the way in which the Governorship has been run in New Jersey. And far from being a "small story" this is a thread that you pull to see how this guy operates, and how he would govern were he to become the President of the United States.
~ Howard Fineman on Hardball

You cannot close down the biggest bridge in the world for political retribution. You have intentionally put people in harm's way. You knew that before you did it. You knew that when Fort Lee called 20, 30, 40 times.
. . . This is about the lowest level of poltical venom I could ever make up. We’ve now ensured that we’re going to remain the butt of every political joke for the next 20 years on political misconduct.
. . . I've got to believe there's going to be an investigation to determine if this rises to the level of criminality.
. . . I'm nervous about future retribution. I want Fort Lee left alone.
~ Mark Sokolich, Democratic Mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey







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