Wildstein plea report yet another false alarm

Bill Baroni, Gov Christie and David Wildstein

It turns out that the Bloomberg Business story that David Wildstein, Governor Chris Christie’s former #2 man at Port Authority of NY/NJ,would plead guilty to an unspecified federal charge associated with the Bridgegate scandal today, is not so.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s Public Affairs Office sends an email to the media every morning with a heads up of proceeding that are planned for the day.   There was no proceedings including Wildstein in this morning’s email.   I emailed Matthew Reilly, the Public Information Officer. “Nothing on Wildstein?  Was the Bloomberg leak another false alarm?”   “Nothing on Wildstein,” Reilly responded.

There were going to be Bridgegate indictments announced in December, January and March, according to mainstream press reports.  They never happened.

Leaks out of the Justice Department have not been reliable since Chris Christie was U.S. Attorney.

• Tweet

Gov. Christie Draws Crowd to First Extended Press Conference of Year

• Tweet

Report: David Wildstein will take Bridgegate plea

David Wildstein, the founder of PolitickerNJ under the pseudonym Wally Edge, former Mayor of Livingston, former high school chum of Governor Chris Christie and Christie’s number 2 man at the Port Authority of NY/NJ until he resigned under pressure over the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal know as Bridgegate, is set to plead guilty to so far unspecified charges in federal court tomorrow, according to a report at Bloomberg Business.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Senate president: Come home, Chris Christie. N.J. needs you

• Tweet

Christie stiffs New Jersey taxpayers for security travel while Walker PAC pays

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

When a governor takes out-of-state trips to campaign for a new job, who pays for the travel bills of the state police security details?

In New Jersey and Wisconsin, the answers are different for two governors who are jockeying for position in the 2016 GOP presidential sweepstakes.

Chris Christie has unapologetically stuck New Jersey taxpayers with the $1.15 million in Executive Protection Unit travel costs during his first five years in office, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis.

But when Wisconsin’s Scott Walker hits the road on political journeys, those bills are being paid by his political action committee, which gets the money from campaign donations.

Read the rest of this entry>>

• Tweet

N.J. Legislature will fully fund pension in 2016, senate president vows

• Tweet

NJ First Lady Mary Pat Christie Quits Her Job

Mary Pat Christie,  Governor Chris Christie’s wife, has left her lucrative job at Wall Street hedge fund, Angelo, Gordon & Co, according to multiple media reports citing a statement from the Governor’s spokesman, Kevin Roberts.

photo via nj.gov

“Mrs. Christie has decided to take a hiatus from her work in the finance world to spend more time with her family and young children. She recently resigned her position as a Managing Director at Angelo Gordon.”

The Christies have four children. Two are in college and two…an 11 year old and 14 year old…at home.

Mrs. Christie has been the breadwinner in the family since Governor Christie started his government career as U.S. Attorney in 2002.  In 2013 Mrs. Christie reported earnings of $510, 522.  The Governor’s salary is $175,000.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Christie tells Jimmy Fallon that his day job is keeping him busy

Jimmy Fallon wore a New Jersey lapel pin and Chris Christie ate some Ben and Jerry’s Tonight Dough ice cream last night during the Governor’s appearance on the Tonight Show.

Christie joked that his day job as Governor of New Jersey is keeping him too busy to announce that he is running for president.

Christie and Fallon spent much of the segment joking about fat jokes. Fallon urged Christie to be the hulk. “Be mean be green.” Be the guy who tells people to shut up and sit down.  Christie corrected Fallon, “You got it wrong, It’s sit down and shut up.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Kyrillos Backing Jeb Bush For President

State Senator Joe Kyrillos is backing former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

According to The Washington Post, Bush spokesman Tim Miller confirmed that Kyrillos is backing the son and brother of 41st and 43rd presidents to become the 45th.  Kyrillos contributed $10,000 to Bush’s political action committee last month.

The news that Kyrillos is supporting Bush over his decades long friend and ally, Governor Chris Christie, caps the news cycle for a day in which a Quinnipiac Poll reported that New Jersey voters don’t approve of the Governor’s job performance at home and don’t think he would make a good president. A CNN poll also released Monday places Christie in 7th place among GOP presidential hopefuls with support of only 4% or Republicans and Republican leaning Independents nationally. Just four months ago, a full year after the Bridgegate scandal broke, Christie ranked second for the 2016 GOP nomination in CNN’s poll with support of 13% of the respondents.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Behind Christie’s Budget Claims, a More Controversial Legacy

• Tweet