Ex-Christie Aides Convicted in George Washington Bridge Case

[AndaliteBandit]

Glad to see justice being served. Perhaps Christie will be next.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/05/ny...onviction.html

The scandal has been the biggest political corruption case in New Jersey in years, riveting a state that has a long history of official malfeasance and leaving Mr. Christie deeply unpopular among his constituents.

In the six-week trial here in federal court, the prosecution and the defense both portrayed the Christie administration as a relentlessly political operation in the service of a fiery-tempered and ambitious governor.

Aides began using government resources to seek political endorsements the year Mr. Christie, a Republican, entered office, with an eye to winning not just a broad re-election victory, but also to the presidential race six years away.

Ms. Kelly, who was deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, sent the blunt email that prosecutors said set off the scheme and, when it was made public by a legislative subpoena in 2014, the scandal: “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

Mr. Baroni, once Mr. Christie’s top staff appointee at the Port Authority, had ignored increasingly agitated phone, text and email messages from the mayor of Fort Lee about “an urgent matter of public safety” there, with emergency vehicles, school buses and commuters stuck in catastrophic traffic jams. Mr. Christie had avidly but unsuccessfully sought endorsement for re-election from the mayor, Mark J. Sokolich, a Democrat.

On the stand, both defendants said they had been duped by another Christie associate, David Wildstein, into believing that the lane closings were a legitimate traffic study. Mr. Wildstein, a secretive former political blogger, had been appointed as an enforcer for Mr. Christie at the Port Authority. Mr. Wildstein pleaded guilty to orchestrating the scheme and became the star witness for the government.

Mr. Wildstein testified that he had told Mr. Christie about the scheme at a Sept. 11 memorial service, in the middle of the lane closings. And Ms. Kelly testified that she had received the governor’s approval before sending the email triggering what she thought was the traffic study.

[zenkai]

Always good to see corruption caught and punished, just wish more people thought that way.

[Kathandira]

Yes somehow Christie gets to walk away from this with no punishment. Really was hoping this would force him out of office.

Eh, he'll be gone soon enough. Maybe on that day, we can get a Governor who actually gives a crap about the people on this state. I know...wishful thinking and it likely won't happen, but I have to have some hope to hold onto.

[Daelak]

Always good to see corruption caught and punished, just wish more people thought that way.

Oh right, Clinton Crime Syndicate is all-knowing and has connections in every law enforcement agency, she's corrupt, it's just a shame that all the evidence is being withheld to protect her from her jail sentencing right? Right?

[zenkai]

Oh right, Clinton Crime Syndicate is all-knowing and has connections in every law enforcement agency, she's corrupt, it's just a shame that all the evidence is being withheld to protect her from her jail sentencing right? Right?

Someone's angry and needs a hug,

[AndaliteBandit]

Oh right, Clinton Crime Syndicate is all-knowing and has connections in every law enforcement agency, she's corrupt, it's just a shame that all the evidence is being withheld to protect her from her jail sentencing right? Right?

Yes, yes, and she killed Scalia with black magic. There are already multiple active threads to discuss all of that, we don't need another.

[Daelak]

Someone's angry and needs a hug,

Yeah, sorry that the Clinton Crime Syndicate didn't share their spirit cooking juice with you. Maybe you will get to snowball it out of Podesta's mouth.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, yes, and she killed Scalia with black magic. There are already multiple active threads to discuss all of that, we don't need another.

Good point.

[Beazy]

Wow, I cant believe someone took the fall for that piece of shit. Christie is a sack of filthy shit.

[Kathandira]

Wow, I cant believe someone took the fall for that piece of shit. Christie is a sack of filthy shit.

Exactly what I am thinking.

[Damajin]

The only way NJ is ever going to be cleaned up is if a bleach filled nuclear missile is dropped on it. They take down one snake there's always 50 more hiding in the grass.

[Kathandira]

The only way NJ is ever going to be cleaned up is if a bleach filled nuclear missile is dropped on it. They take down one snake there's always 50 more hiding in the grass.

Would be pretty cheap. We still have silos from the Manhattan project all over the place. Wouldn't need much fuel at all.

[Beazy]

Exactly what I am thinking.

Hes is a MAJOR reason to not vote for Trump, can you imagine Christie as the AG? Its the only reason Christie is even stumping with Trump, he knows Trumps the only dip shit on earth who would give him the job.

F that Noise.

[Kathandira]

Hes is a MAJOR reason to not vote for Trump, can you imagine Christie as the AG? Its the only reason Christie is even stumping with Trump, he knows Trumps the only dip shit on earth who would give him the job.

F that Noise.

Truth. If Trump loses, Christie's political career is over. So definitely a great reason to not vote for Trump...among the plenty of other reasons. lol

[Adam Jensen]

Traffic jams are hell on earth. Fuck anyone who purposefully causes one.

[Damajin]

Hes is a MAJOR reason to not vote for Trump, can you imagine Christie as the AG? Its the only reason Christie is even stumping with Trump, he knows Trumps the only dip shit on earth who would give him the job.

F that Noise.

I disagree with this entirely, I think Trump is smart enough to keep useful idiots like Christie and Palin at arms' length and have entirely different ideas on people for those positions. They might not necessarily be stellar picks but I really don't see him tapping Christie for anything as serious as AG.

If Christie still had the bona fides he had when he first came into office I'd potentially think differently but he went from roaring lion to belly button lint pretty fucking fast.

[Tico]

It is always good to hear such good news. Would be good to hear such news also in Hungary, where I live. But now it doesn't seem that things are going that way...

[Kathandira]

If Christie still had the bona fides he had when he first came into office I'd potentially think differently but he went from roaring lion to belly button lint pretty fucking fast.

Ya know. For the first year, I was a HUGE Christie supporter. The way he was standing up to the Teachers Union, I was very happy to see someone not take their shit. But then as time went on, and hiss true colors started to shine through, I learned that he was a huge pile of shit. Even made me skeptical about much of the debate he had with the Teachers Union too. I don't believe he is to be trusted what so ever for any reason at all.

[Damajin]

Ya know. For the first year, I was a HUGE Christie supporter. The way he was standing up to the Teachers Union, I was very happy to see someone not take their shit. But then as time went on, and hiss true colors started to shine through, I learned that he was a huge pile of shit. Even made me skeptical about much of the debate he had with the Teachers Union too. I don't believe he is to be trusted what so ever for any reason at all.

Yeah he had some real good game at first and was basically a rock star in the R party for a bit there. He essentially did what lots of politicians at the time did, expressed and channeled the anger of Main Street and made them think his priorities and values were in line with theirs, but damn was he pulling a fast one. His entire reach at this point is dependent on people remembering what a gunslinger he was at first but overall he's pissed all that away and people on the right are like ok, it's Christie. Get that bum outta here.

[lockedout]

Always good to see corruption caught and punished, just wish more people thought that way.

How was Christie not indicted?

"The result was a sweeping nine-count indictment against Kelly, Baroni and Weinstein.

Wildstein pleaded guilty and testified against Baroni and Kelly as part of his deal with the government.

He testified during the trial that he, Baroni and Christie discussed lane closures during a 9/11 memorial service."

http://cliffsidepark.dailyvoice.com/...candal/688397/

[Mister Cheese]

Took them long enough.