Many of the political pundits have short memories when they say that Gov. Chris Christie has a carefully crafted image as a straight talking non-partisan who is above petty politics. That image only works for people who don’t pay attention or don’t live in New Jersey.
As US Attorney, unlike eight of his brave colleagues who got fired when they refused the orders of the Bush Administration to conduct political inquiries during election season, he began a political and bogus investigation of US Sen. Robert Menendez that went nowhere.
He lied about being in “constant contact” with State Senate President Steve Sweeney during a deadly snowstorm while he was in Disney World.
He lied about his administration botching an application for millions in federal education funds, blaming the Obama administration.
He cut off funding for a nationally-recognized center for abused children in retribution for its Board member criticizing his illegal firing of the African American Public Defender. Then he lied about it.
The examples of his lack of “straight talk” and his “petty politics” are too numerous to list in a letter. But his recent political bullying and retribution endangered the lives of New Jersey citizens who live near the George Washington Bridge. Then he lied about it. That’s criminal. He should be impeached.
Nancy Erika Smith is a labor lawyer representing workers. Her office is in Montclair. Bob Braun’s Ledger welcomes guest bloggers.
The simple question is: Why did he not order the “traffic study” after the first day? To ALLOW it to go on for four day, was criminal.
The most generous thing you can say about Christie’s response to the shutdown, given that his new Chief of Staff got the hair-on-fire Foyt email, is that he displayed a depraved indifference to the welfare of his constituents. That is a hell of a qualification for a would be President.
Might that not warrant a legislative censure, at the minimum?
I agree with impeaching Christie to show that we should not stand for mismangement and dishonesty! Without a trial this time he may not prove to be a Bridge liar. If he admits to all his lies in past, replaces all his cohorts and is truly repentent, I may vote to allow him in office as possibly his last chance for public acceptance.
I am watching the press conference,somehow he seems smaller.Not use to seeing a contrite Christie.His political future just took a Brodie.
Only one question,after 3 days of frantic complaints about the traffic,why didn’t Stronger then the Storm make a call to find out why one of the busiest bridges in America was backed up?Everyone heard about it,people called his office,Why would he not find out,come on now,tell me.
Great point. Why didn’t he do something all week while Ft. Lee was crying for help? (Reminds me of Bush and Katrina.) Was he too busy running around the country promoting himself? Or was he in-state but oblivious to the problem (or just didn’t care)? Has anyone checked his schedule that week?
What’s to moderate other than 2 spell check errors? Thanks.
Were you at the press conference, Mr. Braun? Care to comment on the Governor’s behavior. I just don’t get it…if those shenanigans were going one in NJ, why didn’t HE check into it to see WHY? Who would let four days of severe backups on the bridge go on that long? Poor management at best!
Not only impeached but removed from office and then indicted on criminal charges, tried, convicted and jailed. Trouble will be a jail cell big enough. To hold his ego.
For all the faults Ms. Smith correctly condemns Governor Christie for, the one that resonates most for me was the unjustified firing of a good and decent man, Justice Wallace of the Supreme Court. His “excuse” was he didn’t like some of the opinions of the Court, but the ones he didn’t like, e.g. allowing decent housing for African Americans, were written before Justice Wallace was ever on the Court. Justice Wallace is a good husband and wonderful father of five. He did not deserve the fate this bully afforded him. It is too bad folks in NJ and elsewhere really don’t know much about this travesty.
I found it amazing that the Guvna spent two hours saying absolutely nothing to give any indication he is seriously contrite and wants to get to the bottom of this fiasco he supposedly knew nothing about. “I didn’t know. I take responsibility but I just found out about it yesterday and I fired some folks today. I delegate but I don’t micro-manage; I put people in positions of responsibility and they lied to me. I’m hurt but not angry. And I really, truly didn’t know. But I acted swiftly to fire these people who I trust that lied to me; it only took 24 hours for me to act after I found out. Cause I didn’t know, but hey it’s my responsibility. And I acted on behalf of the people of New Jersey.”
Of course he hedged his bets on his response if subpoenas were to be issued and he never once confronted the woman he fired for lying to him to ask her what the hell happened and why she took the actions that resulted in the lane closings. He says he’s concerned that any further probings might seem to be infringing on other investigations, but that sounds like a faulty sound bite. He should have been asking questions after he got the first phone call telling him the busiest bridge in the world was gridlocked.
Maybe the national political pundits are finally getting a chance to see the real Chris Christie up close and personal, the way residents of New Jersey have for the past four plus years. His style,, his gruffness, his management skills – all of that is suddenly under intense scrutiny and guess what? The emperor is naked as a jaybird – although that doesn’t stop him from trying to give us another snow job to appears as if he’s nobly taking the hit for something that happened on his watch even though he was totally oblivious of these activities. If you believe that, let me offer you a good deal on some aluminum siding for that bridge!
Meanwhile, his childhood friend and trusted aide was busy refusing to testify before the legislature, although Wildstein’s lawyer strongly hinted that if the state and federal prosecutors offer complete immunity, the man might open up with some interesting explanations about what went down. Something stinks to high heaven, and it has nothing to do with industrial waste.
My guess would be that those Democrats and pastors who stumbled over each other in a rush to hop on the Christie landslide bandwagon are feeling pretty foolish right about now – that is if they have any sense of shame, which is dubious. The rest of us are downright embarrassed to admit to the country that we were bullied into acceptance of Christie’s “unbeatable” status to the point of abandoning the party’s standard-bearer and letting Chris run rough-shod over us all.
Maybe we are now finding out why the opposition party was so timid in opposing a man who is against nearly everything they supposedly stand for. But then again, just how many bridges could the man shut down? Guess he had a list of other dirty tricks he could pull off to make an opposition politician’s day difficult.
I’m of the opinion that the real shit has yet to hit the fan – and Christie’s trying to get out front of it with extreme spin in public, while quietly applying pressure behind the scenes to keep the fur from flying and exposing his petty vindictiveness and brazen bullying. “I am not a bully,” he declared on more than one occasion. Hmmm…something about that declaration sounds familiar and so 1970s, feel me? The play-acting didn’t get over in that case, and hopefully it won’t fly this time either. I’d sure hate for him to pull this one off, forcing us to once again listen to outsiders making us a laughing stock by declaring, rightly so, only in New Jersey.
Bob Braun: Great note. Thanks so much.
Lying is totally justified by the liar when there is so much to lose. The history of lying by public officials is never ending. So why would he and anyone involved with this fiasco not lie? You would think a former prosecutor and now governor would see the inconsistencies in the whole story. He put people in jail for less inconsistencies in their stories. Impeach this thug and let us return to sanity. Enough of this Nixonest ” I am not a thug or crook or liar”. And he wants to be president? Save us and this nation from the ambitions of a man and his people that have no morals, no ethics, no empathy, and no business in governing us. Lord give us sight to see that the emperor has no clothes.
Did Christie use his power as a United States Attorney to gather information on political adversaries so as to make them support him at the risk of being compromised?
Bob Braun: You know–that is an excellent point. I’ve always believed McGreevey resigned because of what he thought Christie had on him. To quit because he was gat was absurd; no one cared and many people knew. I think there was a tacit, if not explicit, agreement, that Christie would not prosecute if McGreevey resigned. That’s the only way it makes sense. I also know Christie complained to Corzine’s AG about not prosecuting Norcross so clearly Christie thought he had something on him. And, I’m sure, Joe D has done enough so that a prosecutor had something on his as well. All makes sense.
One of the real issues here is the “traffic study” itself. With or without the bullying vindictiveness, this study was executed to figure out what would happen if some lanes were closed to the busiest bridge in the world. What did they think would happen? An ape could have predicted abominable traffic jams. How much did this study cost? Where is the data for this study? Christie should have been enraged for the horrific costs this incurred. Did he wonder at any point how much money was being spent on this? As a fiscal conservative, would he not have been enraged by the negligent waste of government money? Apparently there is money to waste on the bridge to nowhere but not enough on poverty programs.
Then so should Obama. Blog that.
I promise as soon as Obama closes an interstate crossing I will blog about it.
Mr Braun, please let me run an idea past you. This GWBgate is all covering up for the biggest heist of …ever….of the graft and kickbacks that are about to be practiced by the Christie administration.$20 to 25 BILLION in Federal funds…no wonder he hugged Obama! The GWB problem has exposed Christie as a complicit co-conspirator in the illegal bridge lane closings. It’s also revealed his apparent need to awards Sandy Aid only to those people who do him favors and never say bad things about, or disagree with, him? Is he planning the largest graft in the world?
Or is it more connected to his Presidential bid, and the need to maintain his persona?