Josh Marshall: Following the Money on Bridgegate

[ProSense]

Following the Money on Bridgegate

Josh Marshall

A couple very interesting new threads on the Bridgegate story. As I've mentioned, as the scope of the Bridge closure effort and the attempt to cover it up grow, payback for a small town Mayor's Christie non-endorsement has seemed increasingly implausible as a motive. This morning Brian Murphy went on Steve Kornacki's show to discuss a major billion dollar development project which would have been gravely impacted (perhaps scuttled altogether) by any permanent move to create a traffic choke point in Fort Lee. (There's an important disclosure that both men have been very forthcoming about: both worked for Wildstein in former lives when Wildstein ran a NJ politics website called PolitickerNJ.com.) But before getting to that there's another aspect of this story which I think deserves attention.

We know that Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich was on the phones with basically everyone as soon as the traffic started piling up last September 9th. But there's something about the nature of his correspondence with Port Authority Deputy Director Bill Baroni. He repeatedly goes out of his way to make clear he wants things handled quietly, without the press or politics getting pulled into the mix. In fact he appears to want the communication to be solely between them.

<...>

When Sokolich pens that now widely reported September 12th letter to Baroni, he writes ...

"I am writing this correspondence to you and refraining from copying any other party in the hopes that a recent decision by the Port Authority will be reversed quietly, uneventfully and without political fanfare."

And then towards the end of the letter he adds ...

"Query: What do I do when our billion dollar redevelopment is put on line at the end of the next year?" (Ex: A, pp. 647-48)

Then in another instance, Kelly and Wildstein are discussing other Sokolich approaches to Baroni. Here Kelly texts Wildstein: messages that have been sent from Sokolich to Baroni:

"We should talk. Someone needs to tell me that the recent traffic debacle was not punitive in nature. The last four reporters that contacted me suggest that the people they are speaking with absolutely believe it to be punishment. Try as I may to dispel these rumors I am having a tough time ... A private face-to-face would be important to me. Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to the errors of my ways. Let me know if you'll give me 10 minutes. Regards Mark." (Ex: A, pp. 753-54)

Now, one possible explanation for this is simply that Sokolich believes he has a much better chance of getting this resolved if politics or press attention doesn't get added to the mix. That is definitely a plausible and potentially sufficient explanation...It seems like there's maybe more going on here - not cc'ing any colleagues on emails, asking for face to face meetings, signaling so clearly that he's not trying to make trouble. It just seems to go a bit beyond what you'd expect. And it may fit if Sokolich knew that the underlying issue was tied to high-stakes business investments - transactions which were not illegal or unethical but might not welcome or be helped by high-octane press attention...I'm not suggesting that Sokolich necessarily has dirty hands in this story. But I think he may have had more of a sense of what this was about than has yet come to light.

- more -

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/following-the-money-on-bridgegate

Steve Kornacki's theory on the Christie scandal
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024319407

[kentuck]

1. Makes more sense.

Follow the money.

[ProSense]

2. Kick! n/t

[randome]

3. Which also makes one wonder why Sokolich so readily accepted Christie's apology.

Why wasn't he jumping-up-and-down mad?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Everything is a satellite to some other thing.[/center][/font][hr]

[ProSense]

5. Sokolich is

"Which also makes one wonder why Sokolich so readily accepted Christie's apology."

...not letting up, though. He called David Gregory on a distortion.

On Daily Kos: David Gregory provides cover for Christie's staff
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024319791

Also from the transcript.

<...>

MAYOR MARK SOKOLICH:

The issue is whether he knew. But if he didn't know, he certainly should have known. And I think that's the catch-22 here. That e-mail, what you just read, came from Executive Director Pat Foy. Look, I've always understood that the governor ran a very, very tight ship. Very tight ship in the sense that he was in control of a lot of things, and he would review everything, and he made sure that anything his name was even remotely involved in, he was involved in.

So, you know, look. It's a difficult pill to swallow, I will tell you. But you know what? I'm a Jersey guy. I don't appreciate the political jokes. I signed up to build Little League fields and lower taxes. And, you know, I don't want to be the brunt of a joke. So again, I'm taking him at his word, David. I really am.

<...>

I don't want to sound naive, here. But--

<...>

Based on what I heard, I would take issue with that. I would. I mean now what we're hearing, and the other unrelated stories to The George Washington Bridge closure, I would probably-- you know, he's certainly tough. He's certainly hard. He's certainly strict.

Whether it rises to bully, I leave that to your judgment. But he's tough and outspoken. And, you know, I think a lot of this he brought upon himself. I'm not so sure much of the issue and the attention that this is garnering would actually be the case if he hadn't conducted himself the way that his office has been conducting itself.

<...>

[randome]

7. I'm not sure if that's angry enough to convince me.

Playing the blame game now. Of course this all sounds too much like a conspiracy theory so I guess we all need to wait and see how this shakes out.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[monmouth3]

4. What does this project involve? A shopping mall, another Meadowlands?...n/

[Cha]

6. I liked Kornacki's segment on

Bret Schundler.. we all kind of remember that. I did know those details about Mr Schundler, though.

[chowder66]

8. Sokolich isn't doing anything wrong or suspicious

People are really reaching with that one.

He was just working his way to the right sources to piece this together.
And he has gotten angry it just isn't what some have come to expect.

He's one of the grown-ups.

[ProSense]

9. No one

Sokolich isn't doing anything wrong or suspicious

People are really reaching with that one.

He was just working his way to the right sources to piece this together.
And he has gotten angry it just isn't what some have come to expect.

He's one of the grown-ups.

...accused him of "doing anything wrong," and his messages speak for themselves. For example, "We should talk. Someone needs to tell me that the recent traffic debacle was not punitive in nature."

On Meet the Press, he called David Gregory on a distortion.

On Daily Kos: David Gregory provides cover for Christie's staff
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024319791

Also from the transcript.

<...>

MAYOR MARK SOKOLICH:

The issue is whether he knew. But if he didn't know, he certainly should have known. And I think that's the catch-22 here. That e-mail, what you just read, came from Executive Director Pat Foy. Look, I've always understood that the governor ran a very, very tight ship. Very tight ship in the sense that he was in control of a lot of things, and he would review everything, and he made sure that anything his name was even remotely involved in, he was involved in.

So, you know, look. It's a difficult pill to swallow, I will tell you. But you know what? I'm a Jersey guy. I don't appreciate the political jokes. I signed up to build Little League fields and lower taxes. And, you know, I don't want to be the brunt of a joke. So again, I'm taking him at his word, David. I really am.

<...>

I don't want to sound naive, here. But--

<...>

Based on what I heard, I would take issue with that. I would. I mean now what we're hearing, and the other unrelated stories to The George Washington Bridge closure, I would probably-- you know, he's certainly tough. He's certainly hard. He's certainly strict.

Whether it rises to bully, I leave that to your judgment. But he's tough and outspoken. And, you know, I think a lot of this he brought upon himself. I'm not so sure much of the issue and the attention that this is garnering would actually be the case if he hadn't conducted himself the way that his office has been conducting itself.

<...>

He's not giving Christie a pass on this.

[chowder66]

10. "But the logic can just as easily go in the opposite direction".

This is what I'm referring to and it's all about Sokolich

there's something about the nature of his correspondence, potentially sufficient, seems like..more going on, seems to go a bit beyond what you would expect, may fit, transactions...not illegal but might not welcome..press attention, not suggesting that Sokolich "necessarily" had dirty hands




There's some pretty loose speculation there by the writer and I think it is reaching.

It isn't an argument with you Prosense.

[ProSense]

11. I didn't

"But the logic can just as easily go in the opposite direction".

is is what I'm referring to and it's all about Sokolich

there's something about the nature of his correspondence, potentially sufficient, seems like..more going on, seems to go a bit beyond what you would expect, may fit, transactions...not illegal but might not welcome..press attention, not suggesting that Sokolich "necessarily" had dirty hands

...get that from the statement. It's simply a point about the issue being raised. Marshall then states:

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that Sokolich necessarily has dirty hands in this story. But I think he may have had more of a sense of what this was about than has yet come to light.

Again, Sokolich did state: "We should talk. Someone needs to tell me that the recent traffic debacle was not punitive in nature."

So he had a notion that the action could have been "punitive," which is one of the damning revelations.

"Punitive" for what, that is the question?

The more important thing is that officials in Christie's inner circle used the brigde and PAPD for political retribution.

The speculation about motive doesn't change that.