Christie slams Obama Justice Department, Fishman, for Bridgegate Prosecution
Former NJ Governor said George Washington Bridge lane closure prosecution “changed the course of history”
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie slammed his successor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Obama Justice Department today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturning the convictions of Bridget Ann Kelly and Bill Baroni for their roles in closing down entrance lanes to the George Washington Bridge in September of 2013.
Christie, who was considered the front runner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination before the scandal broke open in early 2014, said the prosecution of Kelly and Baroni “changed the course of history.”
Christie’s full statement is as follows:
“The unanimous decision today by the U.S. Supreme Court ends a 6 ½ year political crusade by former U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and the Obama Justice Department against Bill Baroni, Bridget Kelly and dozens of members of my Administration. As many contended from the beginning, and as the Court confirmed today, no federal crimes were ever committed in this matter by anyone in my Administration. It is good for all involved that today justice has finally been done.
What cannot be undone is the damage that was visited upon all of the people dragged through the mud who had nothing to do with this incident by the prosecutorial misconduct and personal vindictiveness of Paul Fishman. Despite being repeatedly told by numerous respected members of the bar during the investigation that he was inventing a federal crime, Paul Fishman proceeded, motivated by political partisanship and blind ambition that cost the taxpayers millions in legal fees and changed the course of history. Worst of all, Fishman allowed Bill Baroni to go to jail for federal crimes he invented.
The leadership of the Obama Justice Department is also culpable for permitting this misconduct to happen right under their noses, authorizing Paul Fishman to weaponize the office for political and partisan reasons.
There are no words of apology that would be sufficient to right the wrongs committed by Paul Fishman. From the very first day of his involvement, he was determined to damage the reputations of as many members of our Administration as he could. This case was driven by a U.S. Attorney and Justice Department in search of a predetermined and biased outcome. In recklessly pursuing that outcome, they violated the oath sworn by every member of the Department of Justice.”
More from my site
Governor Christie: Today’s Charges Make Clear That What I’ve Said From Day One Is True
GWB probe: Trial of two former Christie aides delayed until November
Bridgegate charges will be filed today
Bridgegate: Emails tie Christie’s staff to George Washington Bridge lane closures
Feds seek to dismiss Bridgegate plea by David Wildstein- Bridget Kelly Invokes the 5th
Conflicting reports on Bridgegate emails
U.S. Supreme Court throws out Bridgegate convictions, 6 years after an epic traffic jam
Christie ally David Wildstein pleads guilty, says Bridgegate closures were retribution
Christie’s New Low
Where was he when his friends/staffers were put through hell taking the hits for him? Oh yeah, obnoxiously running for president. While they suffered, he galavanted all over the country, and Kim really ran the state. Because of him, his arrogance, and the voters’ misplaced anger, she also suffered by losing to “the Murph.” She’s doing fine now, but these folks lost time, money, and reputations. And what’s he doing? Running some “foundation” that no one’s paying attention to. Another Jersey Travesty. Wait, that really sounds like a good book title…
wrote a great book about him. How were those predictions for the future? Oh…
After the U.S. Supreme Court reversed fraud convictions of Bridget Anne Kelly, who was deputy chief of staff to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Bill Baroni, the deputy director of the Port Authority, were convicted for shutting down the George Washington Bridge, Democrat Lisa McCormick released the following statement:
Once again, the Supreme Court has reversed federal criminal convictions of corrupt public officials who abused their power.
The ruling is the latest in a series of court actions shrinking the scope of conduct by public officials that can be considered fraud and inflicting another blow to the government’s ability to convict public officials for federal corruption crimes. In 2016, after former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell took hundreds of thousands of dollars from a businessman who wanted state officials to help increase his business profits, the Supreme Court essentially made it very hard to convict politicians for bribery.
Today, official corruption is virtually legal in America, and it is time to elect leadership that will outlaw bribery in all its forms by replacing our ‘pay to play’ system of campaign funding with a fair and clean election finance law. It is also time that voters rise up to the responsibilty of citizenship by firing politicians who cheat, steal or don’t show up for work.
Americans must take back the power to control our fate, or this great nation will permanently become a plutocracy or oligarchy, where a small group of rich and powerful individuals — like the kings of old — make all the decisions and take all of the benefits produced by hard-working citizens, many of whom do not even know they are getting robbed. What once was a democratic-republic is rapidly descending into a dystopian nightmare, but I have faith that ordinary American people will respond to a call for action, and that is why I am running for elected office.
Obviously, the people in power have no concern for the rest of us, or they are entirely incompetent to grapple with problems like deadly disease outbreaks, our climate crisis, a mounting national debt, unending wars, creeping poverty, gun violence and many more. But if we voters are responsible for a system that acquitted Donald Trump after he abused his power and allows billionaires to freely buy influence, then we must also recognize that it is within our power to stop it.
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Lisa McCormick is a Democratic primary election candidate in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. She waged a serious challenge in 2018 to Senator Bob Menendez, who survived a bribery indictment with a hung jury. McCormick earned 159,998 votes in her bid to unseat Menendez while spending less than $5,000 on her ‘people-powered’ campaign.
I second your comments.
He should have resigned and let Kim run as an incumbent. She is doing great things as the CEO of the Fulfil Food Bank
Imagine what she could have done for NJ during this crisis. My bet is she certainly wouldn’t have sent seniors infected with the China virus back into nursing homes like Governor Woodchuck did
is a nice lady and very personable, but she couldn’t tie her shoes as Sheriff, why do you think the Blimp made her ride the pine for 8 years? Good Lord, they didn’t even let her speak in any official capacity. She would have been, umm, interesting to say the least as Gov in these times especially.
Apparently, you don’t understand the law and that this was a 9-0 decision INCLUDING both liberal and conservative justices.
Thus, you aren’t even qualified as a dog catcher.
Jealous much about how strong a woman she is?
Not speak in any capacity? She wasn’t the Governor. But she did bring a HELL of a lot of jobs to NJ which Murphy chased away
You ought to check in on her management of Fulfil and the job she’s doing there.
Finally, I believe in free speech however insults and ignorant comments get you zero credibility. But hey, if you want to look silly, you can say anything you want. Rousseau had a quote that fits folks like you > “Insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong.”
Please expand upon the HELL of a lot of jobs she brought to the state. Cite your sources and show your work. I’m glad she’s a good neighbor / family member to you and she’s thriving in her CEO role at the old FoodBank, however, the inescapable fact is she was a terrible politician. Finally, the delicious irony of you using the Rousseau quote after you insulted another poster in the preceding entry simply made my night. Bravo to you, young lady.
When someone doesn’t know the law, and can’t accept the fact that it was a unanimous decision of SCOTUS to overturn the case, she isn’t qualified to be a dog catcher.
That’s not an insult, it’s a matter of fact.
“And that’s all I’m going to say about that” It’s obvious you despise her (probably never met her) so nothing I could ever say will change your mind. Have a nice day now 🙂
Try again, I have had well over a dozen conversations with her, hence my nice comments about her demeanor and personality. Also, not surprised that you cannot bring any facts to support your baseless claim. Ignorance truly is bliss in your case. Happy Mother’s Day!
Job record, easily found on that interwebby thing.
BTW, you criticized me for the dog catcher comment, yet you first posted this
“but she couldn’t tie her shoes as Sheriff,”
Hypocrisy much? Thus you have lost all credibility.
So, “whatever.” I’ve no need to waste key strokes on you any more. Adios.
Holy hell, are your reading and comprehension skills that atrocious? If you can’t see the absolute hilarity in posting a quote about insults being for those in the wrong while DOING THE EXACT SAME THING in your previous post, then I have nothing for you. I’m all about being right AND insulting oxygen thieves such as yourself, no moral high road here. Happy Mother’s Day to all, except for @@@@@@@@@@@’s who clearly chose the wrong dump site for her donor one fateful night many moons ago. Cheers.