CHRIS CHRISTIE: More Than 907 Docs Released By The NJ Gen Assembly (It's All About 2016!)

#BRIDGEGATE

BREAKING NEWS!........"BRIDGEGATE" DOCS HAVE BEEN RELEASED!!

More than 907 "BRIDGEGATE" Documents have just been released to the Media by the NJ General Assembly...

Every Major News Organization is now perusing the Docs, looking for any evidence linking Gov CHRISTIE to this so-called Political Scandal.

I don't believe any State, nor Federal Laws were broken.

This is all related to 2016 Politics & everyone knows it.




ARTICLE: "Thousands Of Pages Of Chris Christie Bridge Scandal Documents Released"

The New Jersey Legislature today released thousands of pages of subpoenaed documents provided to a state Assembly committee investigating the George Washington Bridge scandal.

Many of the documents were given to the panel by an attorney for David Wildstein, a former top official of the Port of New Jersey and New Jersey, and include the e-mails that emerged on Wednesday revealing a top aide to Gov. Chris Christie was directly tied to the traffic-clogging closure of local access lanes leading to the bridge in Fort Lee.

Democrats have sought for months to link the lane closures to the refusal of Fort Lee’s mayor, a Democrat, to endorse Christie’s reelection campaign.

The e-mails obtained by The Star-Ledger and other media outlets on Wednesday show Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie’s deputy chief of staff, knew about the closures months in advance and sent an e-mail to Wildstein saying, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

Christie has vehemently denied any involvement and fired Kelly on Thursday. He also apologized for the incident at a news conference Thursday.

Wildstein, who recently resigned as director of interstate capital projects at the Port Authority amid the controversy, refused to testify Thursday before the Assembly Transportation committee, which had subpoenaed him. He said he was exercising his right against self incrimination, but the committee voted to hold him in contempt.

Numerous documents that Wildstein’s attorney provided in response to the subpoena — many of them heavily redacted — flashed on a projection screen in the meeting room at the Statehouse in Trenton.

But Wildstein refused to answer a single question about the documents, declining even to confirm that he had worked at the Port Authority, or to clarify whether one document was an e-mail or not.


Sources: AP, CNN, NY Daily News, NJ.com, NorthJersey.com

CHRIS CHRISTIE: 6 NJ Residents File Lawsuit Over "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal (Sovereign Immunity Applies)

#BRIDGEGATE


6 NJ RESIDENTS SUE STATE.....CHRISTIE.....& PORT AUTHORITY OVER "BRIDGEGATE" BUT THEY WON'T GET ANYTHING DUE TO SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY.

Documents detailing an Investigation of the "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal will be released Friday by members of the NJ General Assembly.

Can you say "2016 Politics"??

#BRIDGEGATE

BREAKING CHRISTIE BEFORE 2016 ARRIVES: DEMOCRATS & THE TEA PARTY

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2016 NOMINATION HILLARY CLINTON & MARTIN O' MALLEY!!

Although I still believe NJ Gov CHRIS CHRISTIE handled himself very well Thursday during his "BRIDGEGATE" Presser, it ain't over yet!

By the time OBAMA'S Election Machine (for HILLARY)........NSA "Big Brother" Surveillance......and CLINTON Loyalists, are through with CHRISTIE I doubt he'll be in any shape to ever seek Public Office again.

That's too bad.

I really wanted to see another Meat & Potatoes Campaign in 2016 between HILLARY & CHRISTIE, just as it was with OBAMA & ROMNEY in 2012.

Unfortunately for CHRISTIE even the TEA PARTY hates him.

People like LINDSEY GRAHAM and his SOUTH CAROLINA RACISM are sitting somewhere laughing hard right about now.

RAND PAUL appears to be a good guy but he's linked to the TEA PARTY.

The TEA PARTY has undeniably RACIST Roots.

I don't care if there are a few BLACKS in the TEA PARTY (David Webb), it's still by and large a RACIST Organization.

So thanks to Stupid RACIST TEA PARTY Supporters, DEMOCRATS are most likely going to WIN again in 2016.

Why??

There is absolutely NO way a TEA PARTY Candidate can Defeat HILLARY CLINTON.

NEVER!!

So when HILLARY'S name is called as the WINNER in Nov 2016, I don't want to hear a peep from the GOP.....RNC.....nor any TEA PARTY Leaders because You had someone who could have went toe-to-toe with HILLARY and You blew it!

2016 WILL BE A WALK IN THE PARK FOR HILLARY.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2016 NOMINATION HILLARY CLINTON & MARTIN O' MALLEY!!

I CAN HARDLY WAIT.

BREAKING CHRISTIE BEFORE 2016 ARRIVES: DEMOCRATS & THE TEA PARTY






ARTICLE: "Bridgegate: Six N.J. Residents File Lawsuit Against Christie, Port Authority"

Six New Jersey residents have filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Chris Christie, the state of New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and others over traffic jams in September.

The suit filed in federal court Thursday appears to be the first civil claim over traffic that appear to have been caused as political punishment for the Fort Lee mayor.

The plaintiffs want it certified as a class action.

Lawyer Rosemarie Arnold says she filed it after learning this week that lane closures on an approach to the George Washington Bridge were "deliberate actions." She says that her clients were late for work and that one suffered a panic attack.

Christie has denied involvement. His spokesman did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Sources: AP, CNN, NJ.com, NorthJersey.com, Youtube

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Woman Says Her Mother's Death Was Not Caused By "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal (Florence Genova)

#CHRISTIE

VILMA OLERI says "BRIDGEGATE" did Not cause the Death of her Mother Florence Genova, 91 as CNN Hosts proclaimed.

OLERI'S Mother was a Fort Lee, NJ resident & a CHRISTIE Supporter.


ARTICLE: "Woman Says Lane Closings Were Not To Blame For Her Mother’s Death"

The daughter of a 91-year-old woman from Fort Lee, N.J., who died on the day of a major traffic jam precipitated by top aides to Gov. Chris Christie said on Thursday that she did not believe the inability of an ambulance to reach her mother’s house was a factor in her death.

“I honestly believe it was just her time,” said Vilma Oleri, whose mother, Florence Genova, died on the morning of Sept. 9, the first day that the closing of local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge set off the snarls.

A Fort Lee emergency official has said that the traffic jam prevented an ambulance from Englewood Hospital from reaching Ms. Genova’s home.

Ms. Oleri spoke inside her home in Closter, N.J. She said she had gone that morning to check on her mother, who lived alone in a two-story, red brick house on Harvard Place in the southern part of Fort Lee. Ms. Oleri said she called 911 after her mother went into the bathroom before breakfast and did not come out.
Related Coverage

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey greeted residents after leaving City Hall in Fort Lee on Thursday.
Christie Fires Aide in Bridge Scandal as U.S. Opens InquiryJAN. 9, 2014

Paul E. Favia, the emergency medical services coordinator in Fort Lee, complained in a letter to the mayor on Sept. 10 that the traffic problems caused “unnecessary delays for emergency services.”

Just before the call about Ms. Genova, Mr. Favia wrote that it took him seven minutes instead of the usual four minutes to arrive at the scene of a car crash where four people needed to be taken to the hospital.

“I, myself, was stuck in traffic on Fletcher Avenue and had to jump the curb and cut up West Street in order to avoid the standstill traffic,” he wrote.

It took a Fort Lee E.M.S. crew seven minutes to reach Ms. Genova, after they were detoured away from the traffic accident.

“The response time was only shortened by the fact that they were heading to the accident scene to assist when dispatched” to Ms. Genova, the letter says. Ms. Genova had gone into “cardiac arrest,” according to Mr. Favia’s letter.

Ms. Oleri said that Fort Lee emergency responders tried to revive her mother at her home, but that her mother showed no signs of life.

A neighbor said she watched the paramedics rush Ms. Genova onto a stretcher inside their waiting ambulance.

Mr. Favia wrote in his letter that after an ambulance with paramedics from Englewood Hospital could not get to Ms. Genova’s house, it met the Fort Lee ambulance on a street. The hospital paramedics tried again, but failed, to revive Ms. Genova. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

“We believe she died in her home, but they couldn’t pronounce her until she got to the hospital,” said Ms. Oleri’s husband, Frank Oleri. “The traffic didn’t make any difference.”

Ms. Oleri said she had no idea until Wednesday that her mother’s death had become a source of controversy.

“We want to stay out of it,” Ms. Oleri said. “It’s not political.”

She said her mother married an immigrant from Italy and had lived in the same Fort Lee house for more than 50 years. Though her eyesight kept her from driving a car for most of the last half of her life, she insisted on keeping a car in her garage even after her husband died, because she believed it would deter burglars by signaling that a man lived there.

“She was a pip,” Mr. Oleri said.

Ms. Genova was so secretive about her age — it was one of the few details that became public when the traffic scandal gave her posthumous notoriety — that she never told her family. A decade ago, she fell and broke her hip. Ms. Oleri said her mother yanked an emergency responder’s ear to her lips and whispered her age.

“She never told me; she was like that,” Ms. Oleri said. “I sneaked a look on the paramedic’s clipboard.”

Neighbors said Ms. Genova liked to sit in her dining room with the window shade open. Occasionally, a home health aide would visit, and sit her in the sunshine on her front stoop.

“That’s how we knew she was O.K.; the blind would be up,” said Connie Ciongoli, Ms. Genova’s neighbor for more than 50 years. “We would check on her.”

Ms. Genova and her husband were married more than 50 years. She loved her son and daughter and three grandchildren, Ms. Oleri said, though in recent years her memory had began to fail her.

Because of that, she did not vote in the last election of a governor. But she did in the one before.

“She voted for Christie,” Ms. Oleri said.


Sources: AP, LinkedIn, NY Times

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Top CHRISTIE Aide DAVID WILDSTEIN Pleads 5th During "BRIDGEGATE" Hearings

#DAVIDWILDSTEIN5TH


Long time CHRISTIE ally DAVID WILDSTEIN plead the 5th this afternoon during an official Hearing on the "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal.




ARTICLE: "Ex-Christie Appointee Wildstein Accused Of Contempt In Assembly Hearing"


The Assembly committee investigating the George Washing Bridge lane closures unanimously referred the actions of David Wildstein to authorities to be considered for a contempt charge.

Wildstein, the former Port Authority executive at the center of the lane closing controversy, refused to testify saying the Constitution protected him from self incrimination Thursday after a Superior Court judge refused to block the Legislature’s subpoena.

The statement came after Governor Christie gave a lengthy press conference apologizing for the lane closures and the part senior members of his staff played in the closure.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, head of the transportation committee, asked questions during the hearing with Wildstein, who gave the order to close two of three entrance lanes from Fort Lee to the George Washington Bridge, repeatedly asserting that he is using his right to remain silent.

Wildstein’s statements came at the advice of counsel.

During an earlier news conference on Thursday, Christie disavowed Wildstein as a friend and a close colleague. Numerous media reports have said that Christie and Wildstein are high school friends.

“That conveys and emotional closeness that doesn’t exist,” Christie said.

Christie said that he met Wildstein for the first time in 1977 as a volunteer for Gov. Tom Kean’s campaign. But they did not remain friends.

“I was class president and an athlete in high school,” Christie said. “I don’t know what he was doing.”

Furthermore, he said that he could not remember any instance when he had a personal meeting with Wildstein.

Christie said that he did not want to speak to Wildstein, former Port Authority Executive Director Bill Baroni and others expected to be called to testify at the Assembly hearings because he wanted to avoid accusations of witness tampering.

On Thursday, when Wildstein informed the committee he would not answer their questions, the audience groaned.

After Wildstein asserted his right to remain silent, Wisniewski continued to ask questions about specific emails that landed in the Record yesterday connecting members of Christie’s senior staff to the decision to close lanes leading up to the bridge.

As Wisniewski continued to question Wildstein, two screens displayed their content on each side of the room near the witness table.

This morning, Wildstein’s attonery, Alan Zegas, tried to quash the subpoena in Superior Court and failed.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled Thursday morning the Assembly Transportation committee has the power to compel former Port Authority executive Wildstein to testify.

Wildstein went to court to try to quash a subpoena compelling him to testify before the Assembly’s transportation committee at noon today.

The lawsuit was filed yesterday after emails and text messages linked the decision to close the lanes to Christie’s staff and indicated it was done in retaliation, presumably for Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich’s decision not to endorse the governor for reelection.

The judge said the subpoena powers provided to Middlesex Democrat John Wisniewski’s committee were broad enough to withstand any objections by Wildstein’s lawyer.

The judge said she had the power to rule on one of the three problems cited in Zegas’s lawsuit – the jurisdiction of the subpoena, which was first issued to investigate the Port Authority’s decision to raise tolls.

“[The subpoena] certainly seems to fall within this very broad charge,” said Jacobson.

Zegas afterward said he disagreed with the judge’s ruling but would not comment about whether he would file a further appeal or whether or not Wildstein would appear at noon today.

Zegas said before a determination could be made, he would need to speak with his client.

The appeal began a whirlwind day of hearings, press conferences and media attention to what role Christie played, if any, in the closing of the George Washington Bridge in September.

Zegas questioned the validity of Assemblyman John Wisniewski's signature on the subpoena but Judge Jacobson said she could not rule on that matter.


Sources: AP, NorthJersey.com

CHRIS CHRISTIE Fires Top Aide BRIDGET ANNE KELLY For Her Direct Involvement In "BRIDGEGATE"

#BRIDGETKELLY


POLITICAL SCANDALS 101: HOW TO FIRE SOMEONE SWIFTLY


When faced with a POLITICAL SCANDAL it is imperative Elected & Appointed Officials Terminate someone.

Especially those Individuals Responsible.

It's a fact that Someone has to be FIRED Swiftly!

Someone has to be the "Fall Guy or Fall Fall Girl"!

If Not.........

Then Constituents will view the SCANDAL as an act of IMPROPRIETY........ CRONYISM........or WEAKNESS.

And if Voters don't TRUST their POLITICIANS all is lost!

Prior to speaking at his "BRIDGEGATE" Press Conference, Gov CHRISTIE Terminated one of his Top Aides BRIDGET ANNE KELLY aka the "Fall Girl".

A "Fall Girl" who was deeply mired in this "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal of her own free will.

STUPID!

ARTICLE: "Gov. Christie apologizes For GWB Scandal/ Fires Bridget Anne Kelly"

Governor Christie has fired Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff who ordered the lane closure at the George Washington Bridge in September as political payback to the Fort Lee mayor who did not endorse the governor for re-election.

Christie also instructed his close advisor Bill Stepien to withdraw from pursuing state GOP chairmanship and his consultancy for the Republican Governor’s Association – the powerful group that Christie is leading in 2014.

At a packed news conference in Trenton where he announced the firing, Christie apologized “for my failure to understand the true nature of this problem sooner than I did.”

At a packed news conference in Trenton where he announced the firing, Christie apologized “for my failure to understand the true nature of this problem sooner than I did.”

He also said he had "no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution" and was stunned by the "abject stupidity that was shown." Nevertheless, he said, he was responsible for what happened.

He said it was “completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we're are trusted to serve.”

He also said he had "no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution" and was stunned by the "abject stupidity that was shown."

Nevertheless, he said, he was responsible for what happened.

He said it was “completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we're are trusted to serve.”

The governor said he has instructed his staff to cooperate with the General Assembly investigation, the Port Authority Inspector General Investigation and any law enforcement investigation.

“I have nothing to hide,” Christie said. “We have nothing to hide. My administration has nothing to hide.”

He said he plans to personally interview his staff to root out if others had knowledge of or were involved in the lane closures. He said that if anything else is discovered he will make it public.

Christie said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by his staff, one day after emails and text messages revealed his administration may have closed highway lanes to exact political retribution.

He added he was firing Kelly, "because she lied to me."

Christie said he is going to Fort Lee later today to apologize to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich and borough residents.

The mayor has said he does not want to meet with the governor, but Christie is traveling to Fort Lee anyway.

The Record and other media reported Wednesday that Kelly, one of Christie's deputy chiefs of staff, had sent an email to David Wildstein, a Christie appointee at the Port Authority, saying "It's time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

While many believed the closures were retribution against Sokolich, a Democrat who did not join other members of his party in endorsing Christie, Christie said previously that his staff and campaign had no knowledge of what caused the days-long tragic jam in Fort Lee. He said he believed Bill Baroni, who he appointed as deputy executive director of the transportation agency, who said the traffic jams were caused by a traffic study.

Both Wildstein and Baroni have resigned.

Christie said he was “blindsided” by the news.

Christie said he first learned of the issue after he had finished his workout and was called by communications staff that the story had broken on The Record’s website: NorthJersey.com.

“This is not the tone I set over the last four years in this building,” Christie said.

After the documents revealed Christie's staff and campaign had knowledge of the lane closures and Kelly apparently ordered them, the governor cancelled a planned Superstorm Sandy recovery announcement Wednesday. Six hours later Christie released a statement saying he had been "misled" by a staff member and that "people will be held responsive for their actions."

Christie said he knew nothing about the lane closures until they were eventually reopened four days later.

“I first found out about it after it was over,” he said.

He said he isn’t a micro-manager and gives his subordinates — staff and cabinet — discretion to make decisions. Christie said he didn’t know his campaign was even trying to pursue Sokolich’s endorsement. “I didn’t see this as political retribution because I didn’t see him do anything to us,” Christie said of Sokolich.

Christie said has not spoken to Kelly since the e-mail came out and does not know why she ordered the lane closure. He said he spoke to Port Authority Chairman David Samson on Wednesday and was convinced he did not know about the lane closure scheme.

Christie also apologized for a flip remark he made at a previous news conference that he had arranged the traffic cones himself when asked about the closures.

“I would never have made that joke if I knew the facts that came out yesterday,” Christie.

Christie said Stepien, his campaign manager on his last year’s reelection, was asked to leave his organization at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Kelly was fired at 9 a.m. today, Christie said.

He said Stepien had told him earlier that he had no involvement in the lane closures.

“I lost confidence in his judgment,” Christie said.


Sources: AP, NorthJersey.com

CHRIS CHRISTIE: "How To Handle Political Scandals 101" (John Boehner Approves)

#CHRISTIE

HOW TO CORRECTLY HANDLE POLITICAL SCANDALS 101:

Today NJ Gov CHRIS CHRISTIE taught every Elected & Appointed Official in America how to CORRECTLY handle POLITICAL SCANDALS.

In fact his Press Conference was so polished & so Sincere, that House Speaker JOHN BOEHNER still views CHRISTIE as a "Viable GOP Presidential Contender for 2016".

WOW!










Sources: AP, Gov Christie's office, NJ.com, Roll Call, Youtube

CHRIS CHRISTIE PRESSER: He Apologizes, Takes Responsibility, Fires Key Staffer Bridget Kelley (GREAT DAMAGE CONTROL!)

#BRIDGEGATE


HOW TO CORRECTLY HANDLE POLITICAL SCANDALS 101:

GREAT DAMAGE CONTROL GOV CHRISTIE!

Today I was extremely Impressed with the way Gov CHRIS CHRISTIE handled his "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal during his Press Conference.

All eyes were on him as America listened intensely to his comments.

I have to be Fair & award KUDOS to CHRISTIE for how well he handled himself this morning on the National Stage.

He publicly APOLOGIZED.

He accepted Full RESPONSIBLITY.

He took Swift ACTION.

He is working to quickly regain the TRUST of his CONSTITUENTS.

He was Polite to REPORTERS & JOURNALISTS.

and......

He did NOT Protect His CLOSE FRIENDS!

These attributes demonstrate a great level of INTEGRITY & LEADERSHIP.

The OBAMA Administration should have done the same when faced with the IRS Targeting Scheme.

I'm just saying.








Sources: Gov Christie's office, NJ.com, Roll Call, Youtube

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Is "BRIDGEGATE" Christie's 2016 Waterloo?? (Not With Great Damage Control!)

#BRIDGEGATE


Is the GW "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal Gov CHRISTIE'S 2016 Waterloo??

Not if he uses great DAMAGE CONTROL & comes down really hard on the people Responsible.

Even if those people are his CLOSE Friends.

By the way does CHRIS CHRISTIE have any BLACK & LATINO People working in his Administration??

I'm NOT referring to the Office Cleaning Staff, I'm referring to Key Administration Personnel.

And......

Where was the Mainstream Media when the IRS was Targeting Innocent American Citizens for POLITICS??

I'm just saying.





ARTICLE: "It’s The Worst Example Of A Petty Political Vendetta’: Fort Lee, NJ, Mayor Sokolich On Retaliatory George Washington Bridge closings"

Emails exchanged between a Chris Christie staffer and appointee shows bridge lanes were shut as punishment for Sokolich not supporting the governor. ‘How low can you go … congratulations, you’ve just made New Jersey the brunt of every political joke for the next 25 years,’ the Fort Lee mayor added.

Bully-boy Gov. Chris Christie’s White House hopes hit a massive roadblock after emails implicated a top aide in a punitive George Washington Bridge traffic nightmare.

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” read the damning Aug. 13 email made public Wednesday — the political payback to the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for his refusal to endorse the GOP incumbent last year.

“Got it,” shot back the Garden State governor’s high school buddy, David Wildstein, to the message from Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie’s deputy chief of staff for legislative and intergovernmental affairs.

Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor, Mark Sokolich, told the Daily News on Wednesday he was appalled by the orchestrated gridlock in September.

“How low can you go?” he asked. “This is insane. It’s the worst example of a petty political vendetta . . . I’m embarrassed. And congratulations, you’ve just made New Jersey the brunt of every political joke for the next 25 years — again.”

Comedian Jon Stewart was among the first to fulfill the prophecy. “Clearly, somebody is getting thrown under the bus here,” the Jersey-born funnyman said on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.” “Fortunately for them, the bus isn’t moving. It’s stuck in terrible traffic.”

“Shame on you,” Sokolich said of the political plotters on CNN. He added he fears retribution and wants a criminal probe.

The mayor also had choice words for Wildstein, who had called him a “little Serbian” in an email. “Wildstein deserves an ass-kicking, okay? Sorry. There, I said it,” Sokolich (who is Croatian) said on MSNBC.

First responders were delayed in getting to emergencies, including a call about an unconscious 91-year-old woman who later died at a local hospital.

Asked if he had heard from Christie, Sokolich told The News the governor needs to address the people his staff put in danger during four days of madness. “Don’t explain it to me, explain it to the families that were waiting two, three times longer than they had to for first responders to arrive when their loved ones were clutching their chests because they were having either heart attacks or tremendous heart pain,” he said.

“Explain it to the family who was missing a child that the police had to respond to, or explain it to the thousands of families who couldn’t get their kids to school on time on the first day and the ensuing days thereafter,” Sokolich railed.

Christie, who denied months ago that his staff was involved in creating the chaos, said he first learned of the emails on Wednesday.

“What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable,” he said in a written statement. “I am outraged and deeply saddened that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge.”

The governor said “people will be held responsible for their actions.”

He canceled his only scheduled appearance on Wednesday but he will hold a press conference at 11am on Thursday at his office.

A cache of newly released messages portrayed Wildstein, a $150,000-a-year Christie appointee at the Port Authority, as an eager participant with Kelly in the vehicular vengeance. The governor’s hand-picked choice as PA chairman — David Samson — was also tarred by the burgeoning “Bridgegate.”

“Shame on you,” Sokolich told CNN on Wednesday evening, adding he feared retribution. The Fort Lee mayor also has called for a criminal probe.

Christie critics were quick to unload on a governor more used to throwing political punches than taking them.

“The governor has denied from day one that he knew anything about this,” said New Jersey state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. “Either the governor’s staff lied to him, or the governor was less than truthful with the people of New Jersey.”

State Sen. Barbara Buono, the Democrat who suffered a one-sided November defeat against Christie in the governor’s race, called for the immediate firing of anyone involved and a federal probe of the four-day lane closings on the world’s busiest bridge.

“It’s not at all surprising,” said Buono of the nasty behavior. “I know Chris Christie. Nothing happens in his administration without him knowing.”

New Jersey State Senator Ray Lesniak plans to request that federal prosecutors in New York and New Jersey investigate the scandal, according to WABC.

A request will also to be made to the Manhattan District Attorney for an inquiry into the scandal.

The emails reinforced Christie’s persona as a mean-spirited politician with a scorched-earth approach toward critics.

Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall, told Reuters that Christie’s 2016 White House aspirations have taken a big hit.

“The smoking gun is not quite in the governor’s hand, but these emails show that it is awfully close to it,” Hale said.

“Gov. Christie has spent an enormous amount of effort trying to get away from the narrative that he is a bully,” he said. “These emails destroy all of that effort in a single day.”

It was Sokolich’s decision to support fellow Democrat Buono that apparently set the bizarre lane-closing plans in motion.

A text message exchange between Christie appointees showed the callous chatters taking great delight in the gridlock — timed to coincide with the first day of school.

“Is it wrong that I’m smiling?” texted an unidentified underling.

“No,” Wildstein wrote in response.

“I feel badly about the kids. I guess,” read another text.

“They are the children of Buono voters,” Wildstein coldly replied.

In an email to Kelly, Wildstein stressed that complaints from Sokolich would fall on deaf ears. The mayor said his dozens of complaint calls were ignored.

Eventually, Sokolich was told a traffic study was the reason for the closings. A Sept. 13 email said PA Chairman David Samson played a role in the bogus “traffic study.”

“The New York side gave Fort Lee back all three lanes this morning,” read the Wildstein email. “We are appropriately going nuts. Samson helping us to retaliate.”

The chairman released his own statement insisting he was unaware of the vindictive lane closings.

“I am extremely upset and distressed over today’s disclosures,” said Samson. “To be clear, neither I nor anyone on the board had any knowledge of these lane closures” until a Sept. 13 email from PA Executive Director Patrick Foye. The Port Authority is conducting its own probe.

The agency placed cones blocking two of the three toll plazas from Fort Lee, resulting in hours-long delays that stretched into adjoining towns. The jam-packed streets wreaked havoc on local first responders — even delaying the search for a missing 4-year-old girl.

The emergency response time of Fort Lee’s three ambulances was tripled, and the gridlock forced the entire police department to direct traffic, said Borough Council member Jan Goldberg.

On Sept. 9, the first day of the traffic jam, an ambulance responded to a call for the unconscious elderly woman, Goldberg said. The typical two- to three-minute response time turned into seven minutes, and she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. No one could say if the delay played any role in the woman’s death.

John Currie, chairman of the New Jersey state Democrats, said it was time for the Republican governor to stand up and come clean.

“I suggest the governor try a new approach when answering questions: honesty,” Currie said.

Wildstein resigned his position in December, as did Christie PA appointee Bill Baroni, as the scandal began to mushroom. Baroni, once a Jersey state senator, earned a $289,667 annual salary.


Source: NY Daily News, Youtube

CHRIS CHRISTIE: To Hold "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal Press Conference Today (Damage Control)

#BRIDGEGATE

NJ Gov CHRIS CHRISTIE will hold a Press Conference on the troubling George Washington "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal today at 11:00am.

Is the GW "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal Gov CHRISTIE'S 2016 Waterloo??

Not with a dose of Great DAMAGE CONTROL & hold those directly accountable & related to this Scandal responsible.



Source: NY Daily News, Youtube

CHRIS CHRISTIE: Can He Recover From His "BRIDGEGATE" Scandal Before 2016??

#BRIDGEGATE


CHRISTIE'S "BRIDGEGATE" SCANDAL:

Can CHRIS CHRISTIE recover from his GW Bridge Scandal??

Or has his chances for a U.S. Pres bid in 2016 been completely ruined??

Gov CHRISTIE claims he wasn't aware of any wrongdoing regarding this "BRIDGEGATE" situation just as Pres OBAMA claims he wasn't aware of the IRS Targeting Innocent Citizens.






ARTICLE: "Chris Christie Bridge Scandal Is 'Nixonian,' Hard To See How He Recovers: Opinion"

The Fort Lee traffic scandal, once dismissed by the governor as an exaggerated kerfuffle, has captivated the national blogosphere today.

Political pundits warn of two outcomes: First, the hardening of Gov. Chris Christie's reputation as a bully into indelible fact. And second, his presidential prospects in 2016, washed away in mere days.

Much of this depends on how Christie handles the fallout. After ducking the limelight today, he released a statement this evening saying he is "outraged" to learn that he was misled by a member of his staff, and that the culprits will be held responsible.

Is the governor being honest about his ignorance?

The real test will be whether he comes clean with all the evidence, without trying to invoke executive privilege to hide anything from the public.

In the meantime, the revelation that Christie's top officials paralyzed traffic in Fort Lee because its mayor failed to endorse him has breathed new life into what critics have long charged -- that Christie retaliates ruthlessly against those who dare to cross him.

At Slate, John Dickerson wonders, "Will Christie apologize?" Ultimately, that's what will determine the fate of his presidential campaign, he argues.

Ezra Klein at Wonkblog believes "Chris Christie's problem is that he's really, truly a bully" -- and a bully with power is a dangerous combination.

"It's hard to see how Christie recovers from this," says Jamelle Bouie, a columnist at the Daily Beast.

"Nixonian," a headline at Talking Points Memo cries.

Rachel Maddow told the Star-Ledger's Stephen Stirling that state reporters were right to keep the heat on Christie: "The national press owes the New Jersey papers a huge debt of gratitude."

And New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait seems to think it's all over for the golden governor, titling his piece, "Chris Christie 2016: A Bridge to Nowhere."

What do you think? Can Christie bounce back from Bridgegate?


Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, NJ.com, Rawstory, Youtube

CHRIS CHRISTIE: E-mails Surface Linking Him To GW Bridge Closings For POLITICS (Decision 2016)

#CHRISTIE

DEMOCRATS SEE CHRISTIE AS A SERIOUS THREAT IN 2016

DEMOCRATS & The TEA PARTY are trying to take down CHRIS CHRISTIE before 2016.

Now DEMOCRATS claim to have E-mails directly linking him to recent POLITICAL Bridge Closings.

DEMOCRATS want HILLARY CLINTON to Win in 2016.

The TEA PARTY wants RAND PAUL.







ARTICLE: "E-mails Among Christie Appointees Suggest Political Vendetta"

E-mails emerged on Wednesday purportedly from top aides to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie bolstering the case that George Washington Bridge lane closures last year that tied up traffic were borne from a political vendetta and not bureaucratic incompetence as his administration claimed.

Christie's office could not be reached for comment, but he has previously said he knew nothing about allegations of political retribution against the Mayor of Fort Lee, where the traffic lanes feed into the nation's busiest bridge across the Hudson River, for not endorsing him in his re-election bid.

Those cited in the series of e-mails and text messages subpoenaed by Democratic legislators and obtained by CNN and other news outlets did not respond to requests for comment or to verify the communications.

The politically charged controversy comes with Christie considered a likely candidate for President in 2016 and leading national polls for the Republican nomination.

The e-mails, if accurate, are the most damaging information to surface supporting Democratic suspicions of political retaliation in this case involving the Christie administration, which has put the blame on a mishandled traffic study.

The exchanges began three weeks before the closures in September, which caused heavy traffic backups, and cite a senior Christie staffer and political appointees at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the bridge.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie's deputy chief of staff for legislative and intergovernmental affairs, said in an e-mail to David Wildstein, then the highest-level appointee representing the state at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

"Got it," Wildstein replied.

Democrats allege the lane closures were to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie in his re-election effort.

Christie acknowledged that mistakes were made but forcefully denied the lane closures were politically motivated.

He said at a news conference last month that he could only repeat what another appointee, Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni, had said publicly blaming the lane closures and resulting congestion on the transportation analysis.

"Which is, they believed the traffic study was necessary and that they ordered it, but the way they did it was mistaken and they didn't follow protocols," Christie said.

Christie said at the time that Baroni would leave his job, which he has. Wildstein also has resigned since the controversy broke.

In response to a phone message from Sokolich regarding an "urgent matter of public safety in Fort Lee" on the first day of the lane closures, Kelly asked Wildstein in an e-mail if the Mayor's call had been returned.

Wildstein wrote to Kelly: "Radio silence. His name comes right after mayor Fulop."

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democrat who also didn't endorse Christie, raised his own suspicions.

He claimed this week that his decision to not endorse the Governor was met with news that New Jersey Cabinet and other high ranking officials were canceling meetings with him and that a pension reform bill he had worked on was scuttled by a Democrat who had backed Christie.

On the second morning of the closures, Sokolich apparently sent a text to Baroni: "Presently we have four very busy traffic lanes merging into only one toll booth. ... The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Help please. It's maddening."

Seeing that text, a person whose name has been redacted from the e-mails and text messages writes to Wildstein: "Is it wrong that I am smiling?"

"No," Wildstein responds.

"I feel badly about the kids," the unknown person writes.

"They are the children of Buono voters," responds Wildstein.

Barbara Buono was Christie's Democratic opponent in the election last November.

On September 13, Wildstein wrote to Kelly that New York authorities gave "Fort Lee back all three lanes this morning. We are appropriately going nuts. Samson helping us to retaliate."

David Samson chairs the Port Authority's Board of Commissioners and is a close Christie ally.

Sokolich reached out to Wildstein on September 17 seeking an explanation.

"We should talk. Someone needs to tell me that the recent traffic debacle was not punitive in nature. The last four reporters that contacted me suggest that the people they are speaking with absolutely believe it to be punishment. Try as I may to dispel these rumors I am having a tough time. A private face-to-face would be important to me. Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to the errors of my ways. Let me know if you'll give me 10 minutes. Regards,"

Mark," Sokolich wrote.

Wildstein sent the texts to Baroni.

"Have not heard back from Bridget," Wildstein noted.

"F**k," Baroni wrote back.

On September 18, Wildstein e-mailed Bill Stepien, Christie's campaign manager, and forwarded him a story from the Wall Street Journal titled "Bridge Jam's Cause a Mystery."

"I have empty boxes ready to take to work today, just in case," Wildstein wrote, an apparent reference to being fired. "It will be a tough November for this little Serbian," an apparent reference to Mayor Sokolich.

On October 3, Baroni asks Wildstein what the "Trenton feedback" is. Trenton is the capital of New Jersey and where Christie's headquarters are.

"Good," Wildstein wrote.

"Just good?" Baroni wrote. "S**t."

"No I have only texted brudget (sic) and Nicole they were VERY happy," Wildstein responded. "Both said you are doing great. Charlie said you did GREAT."

The Port Authority, which is run jointly by New Jersey and New York, oversees the tunnels, bridges and seaports between the two states, as well as the metropolitan area's airports.

Christie, who's now criss-crossing the country, campaigning for fellow GOP governors as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is seen as prime political target for national Democrats, who rarely attacked Christie during his re-election campaign but are now becoming more aggressive with the bridge controversy unfolding.

"These revelations are troubling for any public official, but they also indicate what we've come to expect from Governor Christie - when people oppose him, he exacts retribution. When people question him, he belittles and snidely jokes. And when anyone dares to look into his administration, he bullies and attacks,"

said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chair, in a statement.

A source close to Christie said "there will probably be some sacrificial firing and that'll be it."


Sources: Associated Press, CGI America, CNN, NJTV, NJ Assembly Democrats, Wikipedia, Youtube