Christie Knew About Lane Closings, Ex-Port Authority Official Says (NYT)

[jsr]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/nyregion/christie-bridge.html

Christie Knew About Lane Closings, Ex-Port Authority Official Says
By KATE ZERNIKE | JAN. 31, 2014

The former Port Authority official who personally oversaw the lane closings on the George Washington Bridge in the scandal now swirling around Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Friday that the governor knew about the lane closings when they were happening, and that he had the evidence to prove it.

In a letter released by his lawyer, the official, David Wildstein, a high school friend of Mr. Christie’s who was appointed with the governor’s blessing at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge, described the order to close the lanes as “the Christie administration’s order” and said “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference” three weeks ago.

“Mr. Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him and he can prove the inaccuracy of some,” the letter added.

The letter marked the first signal that Mr. Christie may have been aware of the closings, something he repeatedly denied during a two-hour press conference earlier this month.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Turn out the lights...the party's over for the big guy.

[spanone]

2. D R I P...D R I P...D R I P.....soon, the gusher

[BeyondGeography]

3. Wildstein thought about it for a half-second and realized he was too young to die

Later, Chris.

[bigdarryl]

4. Oh FUCK!! if true my Governor is DONE!!!!

Can't wait to watch Rachel and Steve tonight and this weekend

[hrmjustin]

5. The crap just hit the fan.

[Rex]

6. FORK. STICK. DONE.

[ProSense]

7. .

[DippyDem]

8. Everybody..jump the ship! It's a flood!

Crisp Crispie's butt is about to explode. Get off the ship to avoid the stink!!

[Enrique]

9. aw David, how could you do that to your good buddy

the one that said he never heard of you.

Next up: Bridget Kelly, whom Christie called a stupid liar.

[malaise]

10. How sweet it is

Get me my chocolates, blue mountain coffee, a nice yellow tail snapper - this is freaking orgasmic

[msanthrope]

11. Where's the fork??? nt

[WillyT]

12. Woo Hoo !!! - K & R !!!

[WillyT]

17. Go Here... Google News... Sorted By Time... EVERYBODY Is Getting In On This Story... LOL !!!

Link: http://tinyurl.com/kwamraj

:bouince:

[jsr]

22. .

[Dopers_Greed]

28. Anyone remember...

This gem from Faux News' homepage.

[malaise]

13. The Super Bowl won't be so super for Christie and the rest of ReTHUGs

This is so freaking delish!!!

[Motown_Johnny]

14. I didn't expect this until Monday.

But then again, by then it might have been to late.


Weildstein is going to need to turn over that evidence Monday. Why he thinks he is going to get a deal out of this I just don't know. I guess he is just posturing for later in the process.

[malaise]

19. Kornacki made a good point just now

He said Wildstein sold his website to a Christie enemy.

Payback can be a bitch!!

[longship]

15. This was inevitable as soon as Christie Cream threw them under the bus.

Bridget Kelley is coming up next. They know who ordered this and why. It's going to come out.

Christie Cream => Crispy Christie.

Hoo Haw!

[DippyDem]

16. WOOT! Steve Kornacki talking about it on Alex Wagner now! n't

[JanT]

18. glad to hear this

good job Mr. Wildstein. When someone throws you under the bus, you disconnect the brakes.

[Walk away]

20. His ineluctable slide into his 2nd term made me so sad....

I despised him for vetoing the creation of the Health Care exchange for NJ. The entire state was for it but he had to veto it to make his Teabagger chops for his 2016 run. I hate his guts for defunding our schools and pandering to his greedy billionaire friends.


Today I am ecstatic! The other shoe has dropped.

[demmiblue]

21. Ha! K&R

[brentspeak]

23. Christie will just change the subject to teachers

"Hey, everyone -- look at those evil, greedy, incompetent teachers! Who's in for a little teacher lynching? I know I am! C'mon - stop looking at me and let's go fry some teachers! Whaddya say?"

[Whisp]

24. Dee-licious. *smacks lips.

mudderfucker is goin' Down!

[Submariner]

25. I wonder if New Jersey will televise Christies impeachment proceedings?

I would like to see FRONTLINE do a story unraveling this NJ mess. I would like to hear that deep-voiced FRONTLINE narrator outlining Crispies self-inflicted downfall step-by-step so the nation can see it, not just us political news junkies.

[Solly Mack]

26. K&R

[Gothmog]

27. Here is Christie's lawyer's response

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/christie-response

“Mr. Wildstein's lawyer confirms what the Governor has said all along - he had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened and whatever Mr. Wildstein's motivations were for closing them to begin with. As the Governor said in a December 13th press conference, he only first learned lanes were closed when it was reported by the press and as he said in his January 9th press conference, had no indication that this was anything other than a traffic study until he read otherwise the morning of January 8th. The Governor denies Mr. Wildstein's lawyer's other assertions.”

This is a very weak response in my opinion.

[NastyRiffraff]

29. Is the Port Authority in charge..

of that sinking ship with all those rats leaping off?