2nd Anonymously Sourced Report Says Christie Targeted For Prosecution
MMM photo by Art Gallagher
For the second consecutive week an anonymously sourced national media report has suggested that Governor Chris Christie could be prosecuted for conduct involving the Port Authority of NY/NJ.
A New York Times report published on the Gray Lady’s website last evening and in the print edition this morning suggests that Christie could be prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Security Exchange Commission for pushing the Port Authority to fund $1.8 billion in repairs to the Pulaski Skyway. The NYTimes report relies heavily on dozens of memos and emails that investigators reviewed and the NYTimes obtained. Most of the documents mentioned in the story involve Bill Baroni, the former State Senator and Christie’s point man at the Port Authority until his resignation last December.
Last week, Esquire.com cited anonymous sources in reporting that four “Christie cronies” including Barnoni were close to being indicted and that Christie was the target of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s investigation in the Bridgegate and other Port Authority related matters.
Perhaps coincidentally, if you believe in coincidences, both reports closely followed Christie stepping out on the national stage. The Esquire report came five days after Christie’s dancing on The Tonight Show. The NYTimes story was published hours after Christie donned shorts and played in a celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium to raise money for charity.
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The pulaski skyway does connect the northbound turnpike to the Holland tunnel entrance; as well as Jersey City and Hoboken, Bayonne and the planetarium. I wonder what percentage of the traffic goes to Hudson County from the turnpike via the pulaski parkway, vs The holland tunnel n Manhattan?
It is increasingly common for someone to be investigated for one thing (in this case Bridgegate) and then after you get all your pockets emptied out, charged with something completely different. On the one hand there is just something about that which seems fundamentally unfair. On the other hand why should you get a pass just because they were looking for something else. I wonder how the former prosecutor feels about that?
Having now read the article it seems Mr Vance wants to raise creative lawyering that was done in the full light of day to a criminal act. A political witch hunt if ever there was one.
Now, while no one really what the evidence is; it concerns me that this is just another effort to tarnish a possible Presidential candidate like what is going on in Wisconsin against Governor Walker.
“Suggests, anonymously” are words I would not trust, especially from the New York Times no less; a paper that is part of the DNC’s propaganda machine.
Mr. Granelli,
Do you trust Fox News? You know, the RNC’s propaganda machine? If you do, please explain the difference and why.
Thank you.
I trust neither will give you an unbiased balanced view of anything. The difference hear is anonymous sources. That makes it a joke and not a newsworthy story to me.
Coincidence at this time is not likely either as the two potential candidates can’t even defend what isn’t reality.
I find myself in agreement with Bob Walsh. Alert the media!
Seriously, as is easily provable, both the newspaper I worked for and my website never allowed anonymous content for the very fact that “anonymous” means that while the content may be a joke, it most certainly cannot be termed “newsworthy” as it’s veracity will always be questionable.
Instead of “show me the money,” I say, “Show me the source,” or call it what it is, an opinion. Some anonymous, yahoos opinion.
The sources are not anonymous. The editors know their names. Their names are being withheld to protect the source. That’s how leaks are done.
Kathy,
Jim will do…
That said, what does Fox News that have to do with this article and the price of tea in China? That’s just a charge to distract from the issues. But, to answer your question; I use a variety of sources and evaluate them all based on consistencies and inconsistencies.
As to them being the propaganda arm of the RNC, you do know that they do have Democrat commentators on that are allowed to give their view, right?
But, I will take Fox’s viewership numbers as a sign that more people turn to them for a reason.
I can make that charge to as the same goes with MSNBC & CNN. Do you trust them as propaganda arms of the DNC & Debbie Wasserman Schultz?
I hope not.
And Bob is correct, I believe nothing from anonymous sources via a media source that has a known bent to attack Republicans and Conservatives.
The standard MO for the Democrat Party is to destroy candidates that have a chance to become our Presidential nominee even before the nominating process has even started.
In Walkers case, it is truly the media carrying the water for Democrat Prosecutors on charges that have already been thrown out of court TWICE.
I am not a total fan of Christie, but I believe in facts. Nothing has been proven on Bridgegate, nor am I ready to believe that Christie is guilty of something regarding the Pulaski Skyway.
And, if people like Baroni sell their soul to get out of jail, I would suspect their information as well unless their is damning verification of the facts.
may ultimately carry the day…
Mr. Shaftan,
If a “source” needs protecting, they’re not worth the ink. Stand and be counted or sit down and be quiet.
During my career, I covered a series of stories that ended up with township officials resigning due to the official misconduct that was proven because of honest people who knew of their doings and pointed us in the right direction. However, all due diligence was done on my part and sources DOCUMENTED before a word was printed.
An unnamed source used by a journalist is easy, lazy work and titillates more than it informs.
Before I assert wrong-doing on the part of ANY individual I needed documentation both verbal and written.
Jim,
I take Fox’s numbers as being an exemplar of everything that is wrong with our culture today.
Your premise would be borne out if common sense were all that common but we know that it isn’t just as we know that Fox is at the center of the political maelstrom.
Hell, even Fox’s Megyn Kelly couldn’t stand the taste it all left in her mouth anymore and finally called Cheney out for the double-dealing, lying oligarch that he is.
At this point I really don’t watch any news stations here (when Ted Turner owned CNN it was THE news source. Now? It’s a whorehouse) but instead cruise the Internet to try and glean the facts. At times I watch Euro News on Cablevision (channel 103 if you’re interested). It’s news like it used to be in this country in the days of Huntley, Brinkley, Reasoner, Smith, et al. Just information, not infotainment. It’s very interesting too to watch and see not only real, world-wide news but our issues as seen through the European perspective.
I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know what is going on outside our borders that doesn’t include “news” of where Kim and Kanye are traveling to next.
P.S. A subscription to “Foreign Affairs” magazine will really keep you up to snuff as well. I highly recommend it.
Kathy,
Kelly was doing her job and I believe Cheney acquitted himself very well with this answer.
That you call him a “lying oligarch” only exposes your seething hate and such only illustrates you are firmly opposed to other opinions.
You see, I have met Dick Cheney; and I don’t see that in him.
“And that’s all I have to say about that.” No need for anymore more discussion from me on that point.
My “seething hate?” That’s putting it mildly.
Over 4,000 American deaths and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis not to mention the generations of debt that useless war incurred is the Bush-Cheney legacy. That you were star-struck when you met that war criminal is not surprising. I can promise you the jaundiced eye of history will not look as kindly on him.
That you felt he acquitted himself “very well” when he actually just rolled with the same pathetic non-answers is also very telling.
The RNC obviously feel as embarrassed by Bush and Cheney as they should. It’s why they’re treated as embarrassing relatives; you have to acknowledge their existence but you keep them out of the parlor as much as possible.
Kathy is very correct — when history looks back, it will show that Saddam Hussein treated the filthy animals in his country the way that filthy animals deserve to be treated while the majority of his nation was as peaceful and free as any people can be whilst living among said filthy animals.
Bush and Cheney did nothing but free the filthy animals to harass and murder others at the cost of thousands of valuable American lives and billions of our cheap China owned dollars. We didn’t even get the oil, as the idiots on the left will repeat, and Americans are paying top dollar for that too.
Sigh…..
Since you persist:
http://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2006/05/25/who_thought_iraq_had_wmd_most_everybody/page/full
http://www.rightwingnews.com/quotes/if-the-bush-administration-lied-about-wmd-so-did-these-people-version-3-0/
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2011/12/15/tom-brokaw-president-clinton-thought-saddam-hussein-had-wmd
http://www.nysun.com/foreign/iraqs-wmd-secreted-in-syria-sada-says/26514/
The above should be enough, but there is so much more. However, you DO remember that Saddam did use WMD’s on his own people, right?
Again, I am done. I can’t change your mind and you won’t change mine so let’s just stop wasting keystrokes. Believe what you want.
I won’t respond anymore.
Blogs?! You give me blogs as a “news” source and the “opinion” of some exiled Iraqi ex-pat. Save that for people who don’t pay attention.
Who’re you going to use next as a “source?” Ahmed Chalabi? Partisan, please!
Or you can view the situation as: Saddam did NOT use WMD’s on his own people. Saddam used small scale, old technology, chemical and biological weapons on TERRORIST and JIHADIST filthy animals who were trying to destabilize his country and murder his people. Our government’s interference has given new found power, purpose and ability to those terrorists and jihads.
Hopefully you will change your mind about foreign intervention and imperialism before you allow the likes of John McCain to lead our nation into more and further foreign wars that further destabilize other nations and weaken US’ positions and global interests.
Joe Klein quote: “If a tree falls in the woods, John McCain wants to bomb it.”
@”Saddam Hussein treated the filthy animals in his country the way that filthy animals deserve to be treated while the majority of his nation was as peaceful and free as any people can be whilst living among said filthy animals.”
Includeingbombing and chemical attacks on his own populace. A really great way to clean up a messy country created under the aegis of Woodrow Wilson and F.D.R.
@Use of Force:
If you think that the Kurds are “filthy animals,” as opposed no doubt to you, you may not like the fact that they have consistently been the second most loyal ally of the U.S. in that region. And that, maybe even for a bigot, should count for something.
“loyal ally of the U.S. in that region” is a myth. We have no Arab allies in that region.
Are you going to tell me that Saudi Arabia is an “Ally” too? You know, the place where 3/4ths of the 9/11 hijackers came from?
Or maybe you mean Hosni Mubarak, he *was* an ally — http://www.salon.com/2011/01/29/egypt_america_alliance/
With “friends” like the Kurds or Saudis, or Egyptians for that matter, who needs enamas?
You call names, but clearly you don’t know Jack about the Middle East and, like Granelli, march to the tune of John McCain’s war drums.
@”We have no Arab allies in that region. ”
Why people insist on repeatedly flaunting their ignorance and bigotry always boggles the mind. The 30 million Kurds are not Arabs. They do not speak Arabic. They want to have nothing to do with Arabs. They do use Arabic numbers, as they extraordinarily proficient business people when left to their wits.
As for Saudi Arabia as an ally, Washington has never had a problem with that:
“The United States has long been Saudi Arabia’s leading arms supplier. From 1950 through 2006, Saudi Arabia bought or was granted from the United States weapons, military equipment and services worth $79.8 billion. Almost a fifth of all American arms sales during that period went to Saudi Arabia—or 19% of all U.S. arms sales during the period. The proportion underscores the importance of Saudi Arabia to the American defense industry.” –about.com
It just might a bit clearer now about who “doesn’t know Jack.” Some credentials that people lay claim to just aren’t worth “Jack” either.
Anyone want to get back to the top ? 🙂
“topic” that was.
@MLaffey,
Sounds like you are suggesting something like the “process crime” Scooter Libbey was charged with during the Valerie Plame (not) “outing;” am I correct?
BTW, how come no one has been charged with the recent outing of a Mid East CIA agent.
@”how come no one has been charged with the recent outing of a Mid East CIA agent.”
Because of “presidential immunity.” Not legally, but from public scrutiny by the news media and ordinary citizens.
By the way, he is a lot more important than agent. He was the station chief in Kabul in war-torn Afghanistan.
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