Monmouth Leaders Speak Out On Bridgegate, Christie’s Response.

We’re hearing plenty about Bridgegate and Governor Christie’s response to it from cable news pundits and late night comedians.  MMM thought it would be interesting to hear what our Monmouth County leaders, from both parties, have to say about the controversy and Christie’s response to it at his press conference last Thursday.

Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long, said “No, and I’m angry that some are tossing by name around as if I’m waffling about my endorsement,” when we asked her if she regretted endorsing Christie in light of the Bridgegate scandal. “Bridgegate is terrible, but it does not undue the Sandy recovery.  My endorsement was based on the Sandy recovery.   Let’s wait and see what happens when all the facts come out. Right now it’s a feeding frenzy.”

Senator Jennifer Beck said, “The governor has always straight forward me with, and he was forthcoming in his press conference on Thursday.  I believe him.”

Monmouth County Republican Chairman John Bennett said, “Governor Christie was open and sincere in his press conference.  He said that he will now talk to everyone on his staff himself to get to the bottom of what happened.  This issue may have gotten away from him because he departed from his usual practice of doing it all himself.

“Unfettered and overzealous politicos on Christie’s staff went way over the mark.  The lane closures were a bad, bad idea that never should have happened.”

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal hasn’t returned our calls since we debunked his malicious and inaccurate attempted character assassination of a Red Bank Republican Council Candidate last October, so we asked his predecessor, Victor Scudiery, and the man who opposed him in the chairman’s race in 2011, Frank LaRocca to comment.

Former Monmouth Democratic Chairman Victor Scudiery said, “I take Chris Christie’s word for it. We’ll have to play it out and see what happens.  Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, it’s frightening, but we have to wait and see.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Bridge scandal to be investigated by special committee empaneled by N.J. Assembly

Bridge scandal to be investigated by special committee empaneled by N.J. Assembly (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — Leaders in the state Assembly said today they will form a special investigatory committee with subpoena power to continue the probe of the September lane closures on the George Washington Bridge. The committee will be led by Assemblyman…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Bridge scandal: Democrats say they will pursue investigation into lane closures

Bridge scandal: Democrats say they will pursue investigation into lane closures (via NJ.com)

By Salvador Rizzo and Mark Mueller Democratic lawmakers say they will “aggressively” press on with their investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal after Friday’s release of thousands of pages of documents showing key members…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Best of Bridgegate Funnies

Found on facebook and twitter

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Kean Sr joins the Christie feeding frenzy

Former Governor Tom Kean, Sr dealt a body blow to his former protégé today in an interview published by The Washington Post.

Governor Chris Christie and former Governor Tom Kean Sr celebrate the first annual Livingston Day, April 11, 2013. Photo by Tim Larsen/Governor’s Office

“On the one hand, I think he’s got a lot to offer. I think he’s the most able politician since Bill Clinton,” Kean (R) said in an interview with The Washington Post. “On the other hand, you look at these other qualities and ask, do you really want that in your president?”

Kean’s comments come as the current governor is beset by controversy over revelations that officials loyal to Christie engineered closure of part of the George Washington Bridge in September, inconveniencing tens of thousands of state residents in an apparent act of vindictiveness against a local mayor.

There is no evidence that Christie knew of the actions of his subordinates and appointees, some of whom he has since fired. But Kean — who has known Christie since the current governor was a teenager — faulted Christie for establishing a culture in his tight inner circle in which no one “will ever say no to him, and that is dangerous.”

He also said that Christie’s approach to governing is overly aggressive and his agenda is personal.

In a press conference last month, Christie said he had not talked to Kean Sr since the attempt to oust Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr from his leadership post.  Kean Sr has characterized Christie’s ill-fated attempt to replace Kean Jr with State Senator Kevin O’Toole as a personal betrayal.

Christie’s got some fence mending to do.

• Tweet

Haley Barbour defends Chris Christie in bridge scandal, lashes out at ‘liberal media’

Haley Barbour defends Chris Christie in bridge scandal, lashes out at ‘liberal media’ (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour defended Gov. Chris Christie in a lengthy interview for “taking the bull by the horns” after a week of explosive revelations that top Christie aides knew about plans to cause a massive traffic jam…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

More Front Office Fallout From Bridgegate

Kevin O’Dowd, center, holds the Holy Bible while Governor Christie administers the Oath Of Office to Mary O’Dowd, Kevin’s wife, to be Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, June 3, 2011. Photo by Tim Larsen/Governor’s Office

The State Senate put Kevin O’Dowd’s confirmation hearing for State Attorney General on an indefinite hold, which prompted the governor to withdraw Acting Attorney General John Hoffman’s nomination to be a Superior Court Judge, according to a report by the Associated Press.

O’Dowd is Christie’s Chief of Staff. Bridget Ann Kelly, the Deputy Chief of Staff now at the center of the Bridgegate scandal, reported to O’Dowd  prior to being fired by Christie yesterday morning.

During his hour and 48 minute press conference dealing with Bridgegate yesterday, Christie said he expected O’Dowd’s nomination to go forward.

• Tweet

Opinion: Big and Small Thinking at the Port Authority

Opinion: Big and Small Thinking at the Port Authority (via NJSpotlight)

The reason I believe Gov. Chris Christie will survive the Bridgegate controversy is that he is too smart to have directed or encouraged what he accurately called the “abject stupidity” of September’s lane closings on the George Washington Bridge…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Will the Bridgegate Scandal Change the Way Christie Governs?

Will the Bridgegate Scandal Change the Way Christie Governs? (via NJSpotlight)

For all the talk about how the George Washington Bridge scandal is going to affect Gov. Chris Christie’s national ambitions, what about closer to home, what about the “business of the people” as it’s conducted in New Jersey? Christie gives a State…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Christie Fires Kelly and Stepien, U.S. Attorney Opens Bridgegate Investigation

A contrite and “heartbroken” Governor Chris Christie answered questions for almost two hours today from the state and national press corps in a press conference in which he announced the firing of his Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly and his long time political manager Bill Stepien.   Kelly’s employment was terminated first thing this morning and Stepien was advised that his consultancy with the Republican Governors Association was terminated and that Christie is withdrawing his nomination as Chairman of the NJ GOP.

Christie said he fired Kelly because she lied to him about her prior knowledge of the September lane closures at the George Washington Bridge.  Stepien was let go because Christie lost confidence in the political operative’s judgement after reading his participation in the emails released in the Bridgegate controversy yesterday.

The New York Times is reporting that U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman has opened an investigation into the Bridgegate matter today at the request of the Port Authority of NY/NJ’s Inspector General.

• Tweet