Bridgegate: What difference does it make?
Some members of New Jersey’s press corps, along with Senator Loretta Weinberg, Assemblyman John Wisniewski and the Democratic National Committee seem think they finally have an issue to thwart Governor Chris Christie’s rising star. They’re hoping traffic jams in Fort Lee will prevent Christie from becoming President of the United States.
The Star Ledger has an article this morning quoting Democrats and academics saying “the scandal” could hurt Chrisite’s national ambitions.
But questions about the incident have fueled a scandal that even Christie’s masterful team of brand managers can’t make go away.
The Record’s Charles Stile writes that “Christie won’t easily shake GWB flap.”
Stile and The Star Ledger’s reporters have it wrong. Christie deftly accepted “ultimate responsibility” for the mistakes made in Fort Lee last September, while deflecting blame, at his press conference on the matter on Friday. As NJTV’s Michael Aron said on Reporters Roundtable, the issue is ‘fundamentally over.” If the ‘Bridgegate’ story gets any ink at all in 2014 and beyond, it will be deep in the back pages.
It’s doubtful that the subpoenas that Wisniewski, as Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, issued will result in any smoking gun that proves that Christie or anyone in his inner circle other than Port Authority’s Bill Baroni or David Wildstein knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closures that tied up traffic in Fort Lee for a few days is September. Even if a smoking gun is discovered, as Hillary Clinton would shout, “What difference does it make?”
Now that Christie is a legitimate presidential contender, the front runner in the early polls, it is perfectly appropriate that the press and his opponents attempt to make mountains out of traffic jams and other mole hills as part of the vetting process for a president. Barack Obama got a pass from the press and his opponents in 2008 and 2012. Look what that got us.
More from my site
Bridgegate: Emails tie Christie’s staff to George Washington Bridge lane closures
Opinion: Can the Democrats Cash in on George Washington ‘Bridgegate’?
Governor Christie Press Conference At 11 AM
Conflicting reports on Bridgegate emails
New bridge scandal e-mails include Christie chief strategist Mike DuHaime
NBC: Bridgegate Indictments Could Be Coming in January
Even the lawyers now have lawyers at the embattled Port Authority
Wildstein makes new accusations against Christie
Christie ally David Wildstein pleads guilty, says Bridgegate closures were retribution
Watch Christie’s press conference and Assembly Transportation Committee Bridgegate hearing
Right now the committee is in the process of “collecting the dots” so they can “connect” the dots.”
Lets see when all is said and done, i.e. the retrieval of e-mails, phone calls, taking of depositions, etc., can any conclusion be made.
But from what is known already, the two jackasses that resigned at the behest of the governor, certainly jeopardized the lives of people. This is something that should not be tolerated by government officials.
I say take this investigation away from Wisnewski, and hand it over to the feds for a truly objective investigation.
Big to Do? Lane close vs drug epidemic
It’s manufactured BS making an ordeal out of closed lanes. It’s because Bergen democrats think they are above the public and don’t feel the Ft Lee elite should wait like the rest of us.
It’s hilarious to watch you grasp at straws
Let Wishneski investigate the out of control drug issues in his town, where the reality is many young kids are actually dead from the epidemic in his town That’s not a hypothetical what if. It’s fact. The Democrats grasping at an issue of closed lanes vs a drug epedemic where kids are losing lives and the Democrats choose to make an issue to investigate having to wait it line vs ending a drug epidemic in Wishnewski’s town, that proves how the Dems only care about politics not the people.
Where are the Democrats priorities?
I disagree because the behavior involved is too stupid, and its consistent with confusing sandy w recovery, getting angry as a role model, ….its just stupid, and no doubt symptomatic of government all over…but unless the sheer out of control stupidity to this behavior, the screw is too obviously loose
I knew this would happen when Christie won the GOP primary in 2009 and went on to become Governor. Steve Lonegan warned us of Christie’s corrupt behavior, no-bid contracts to political cronies, etc. so it is not surprising to see his chums David Gone Wildstein and Bill Baloni do stuff like this.
What difference does it make? It depends on what Christie knew and when did he know it. It also makes a difference if the Wall Street Journal article about Christie trying to get his pal Andrew Cuomo to stonewall the investigation is true. If so, as an attorney, Christie may have committed ethical violations, and if federal and state laws were violated he could be held accountable for trying to obstruct justice.
This same disgusting corruption, cover-up & retaliation is commonplace at the Port Authority Bus Terminal’s Lost & Found Dept. in NYC concerning lost & found property brazenly stolen by Port Authority Supervisors. Google “Donna Lebourne abc news” & see the vile face of shame being confronted & exposed for the world to see.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=9105280
Port Authority Supervisor Donna Lebourne has an outside job, she is the Vice President of her & her husband’s charity Caribbean Sports International that donates cellphones & other electronics.
If you lost an item at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and did not get it back, contact her charity, perhaps she may donate your item back to you out of the kindness of her cold evil heart. It’s very easy to be charitable when you are giving away other peoples’ property.
http://www.corporationwiki.com/New-Jersey/Maplewood/caribbean-sports-international/85267222.aspx
http://www.gmdu.net/corp-390048.html
Also, the Port Authority of NY & NJ has become a threat to national security and has placed everyone’s safety & security in jeopardy, by undermining all the counter-terrorism measures that have been put in place by the United States. They have allowed crimes such as the illegal policy of disposing lost valid passports in the garbage that are found in the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Now just imagine the damage that a terrorist cell could do with those valid lost passports or an identity theft ring.
What happened in Kenya could easily happen here, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, as a result of the Port Authority’s intentional breach of national security. This is a willful act of treason against the United States of America. Google “Port Authority – Passports.”
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=9277998
NYC Police Comminsioner Ray Kelly agrees with my concerns as well.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/kelly-warns-copycat-terrorist-attacks-malls-article-1.1544046
If the Port Authority will not prosecute and punish their own supervisors for theft, especially when they are caught redhanded, how much confidence do you have in their ability to actually put a stop to their illegal passport policy? The Port Authority’s inaction and cover-up is tantamount to treason.
http://nypost.com/2013/09/09/terror-and-the-nypd/
In this age of global terrorism and rampant identity theft, the Port Authority is a reckless shameful disgusting embarrassment of bi-state transportation agency when it comes to safety & security in this area. To ignore this gaffe would be a crime on all levels of local, state & federal government, who have the power to put a stop to this lunacy.
Action must be taken against these corrupt incompetent criminals in the Port Authority before another terrorist attack takes place & more innocent lives are lost due to their utter disregard about our safety and security, not to mention their disgraceful feeling of self entitlement to patron’s lost property found at the PABT. Google “found, stolen, trashed by PA.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/found_stolen_trashed_by_pa_V4RMICgPyy2bhAVzDkW9EL
It’s time to stop the madness!
Also see the Chasing NJ Bridgegate episode. http://www.my9nj.com/story/24313600/inside-the-port-authority
The culture of fear is alive and well at the Port, because crime, corruption, cover-ups & retaliation is the Port Authority way. Believe me, I know firsthand and I have the evidence to prove it. General Manager of the George Washington Bridge Robert Durando’s testimony at the New Jersey State Assembly Transportation Committee on 12/9/13 exposes the culture of fear that exists at the Port Authority, he is fully aware of what happens to whistleblowers at the Port. Sadly, Durando and his boss Cedrick Fulton decided to put tens of thousands of lives in jeopardy just to their own jobs. They are cowards. Intentionally gridlocking traffic on 9/11 for the sake of a “traffic study,” a day that terrorist use to cause mayhem is absolute insanity.
http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2013/12/george_washington_bridge_direc.html
The culture of fear is alive and well at the Port, because crime, corruption, cover-ups & retaliation is the Port Authority way. Believe me, I know firsthand and I have the evidence to prove it. General Manager of the George Washington Bridge Robert Durando’s testimony at the New Jersey State Assembly Transportation Committee on 12/9/13 exposes the culture of fear that exists at the Port Authority, he is fully aware of what happens to whistleblowers at the Port. Sadly, Durando and his boss Cedrick Fulton decided to put tens of thousands of lives in jeopardy just to save their own jobs. They are cowards. Intentionally gridlocking traffic on 9/11 for the sake of a “traffic study,” a day that terrorist use to cause mayhem is absolute insanity.
http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2013/12/george_washington_bridge_direc.html
Among conspiracy theories, not much is larger than 9/11, and political cultures that invite political actions by underlings that then involve coverups is inherently dangerous.
Could such a culture of Christie’s Bridgegate helped to cause, or frustate 9/11?
From a “all conspiracies theories being equal” approach, can anyone be sure when political corruption and coverup is the order of the day?
Isn’t that the problem of Benghazi or Bridgegate?