Politifact Gives Gov. Christie 'Pants On Fire' Rating For Claim About Traffic Scandal
Source: TPM
HUNTER WALKER – DECEMBER 23, 2013, 2:57 PM EST
Politifact doesn't buy one of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) claims about the growing scandal over traffic lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last September. On Sunday, the fact checking site's Garden State outpost slapped Christie with a "pants on fire" rating for his claim that three lanes on the bridge were unfairly dedicated to the borough of Fort Lee, N.J.
The closures led to days of gridlock in Fort Lee, and some Democrats have alleged the bridge lanes were shut because the local mayor did not endorse Christie's re-election bid. Christie and his top appointees on the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which oversees the bridge, have said the closures were part of a traffic study dedicated to analyzing whether there was a fair number of local access lanes for the town. Christie criticized the number of lanes he said were "dedicated" to Fort Lee earlier this month and reiterated this opinion in a press conference last Thursday.
"The fact that one town has three lanes dedicated to it, that kind of gets me sauced," Christie said on Dec. 2.
However, Politifact determined the local access lanes are not specifically "dedicated" to Fort Lee and are, in fact, open to the public.
:::snip:::
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/politifact-gives-gov-christie-pants-on-fire-rating-for-claim-about-traffic-scandal
NJ Legislature's Investigation Into Bridge Closure Scandal Will Continue In New Year
HUNTER WALKER – DECEMBER 23, 2013, 4:52 PM EST
The New Jersey legislature's investigation into lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that caused days of gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J. will continue into next year.
Some Democrats have alleged the lanes were closed because a local mayor did not endorse Gov. Chris Christie (R) for re-election. Assemblyman John Wisnieswki, a Democrat and the chairman of the committee that has issued subpoenas in conjunction with the investigation, said Monday that responses to the subpoenas have begun coming in and the documents he has reviewed thus far "continue to raise questions" about the behavior of officials at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the bridge.
"It's too early to make any pronouncements other than saying the review of the documents received so far continues to raise questions about the accountability of the Port Authority, the culture that exists that allows these types of things to happen, and how we're going to go about making sure that it doesn't happen again," Wisnieswki told TPM.
The Assembly Transportation Committee issued subpoenas to seven officials involved in the incident demanding any correspondence between members of the Christie administration and Port Authority officials.
:::snip:::
= new reply since forum marked as read
With security extraordinary on the seminar's opening night—audio speakers around the periphery of the outdoor dining pavilion blasted out static to thwart eavesdroppers—David Koch introduced Gov. Christie as "my kind of guy." (The two had previously met in private at Koch's New York City office, he revealed.) Before long, seminar attendees were roaring with laughter as Christie regaled them over dessert, telling them how, in his first weeks in office, he'd exercised extraordinary executive powers to impound billions of dollars in planned spending. ("The good news for all of you and for me," he said, "is that the governorship in New Jersey is the most powerful constitutional governorship in America."
Christie went on to explain how he'd convinced the state's Democratic majority leaders, against the wishes of most of their caucus, to help him slash public-sector pensions and benefits. And he drew a bead on his next major target: public-school teachers and their union. "That's where we head next," Christie said. "We need to take on the teachers' union once and for all, and we need to decide who is determining our children's future, who is running this place. Them or us? I say it's us."
He presented his accomplishments in New Jersey as a model for curing the nation's ills: "We know the answers. They're painful answers. We're going to have to reduce Medicare benefits. We're going to have to reduce Medicaid benefits. We're going to have to raise the Social Security age. We're going to have to do these things. We're going to have to cut all types of other government programs that some people in this room might like."
The speech was classic Christie, but the governor expressed his views to the Koch crowd with a candor that politicians—especially those with a reputation for having mainstream appeal—usually reserve for very select audiences: He called New Jersey Democratic legislators "stupid" for pushing for a tax on the wealthy that he'd previously rejected. He mimicked the voice of his predecessor, Gov. Jon Corzine. And he boldly proclaimed that he'd been elected because "their ideas are wrong and our ideas are right."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/audio-chris-christie-koch-brothers-seminar
to hue:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251337870
Some at DU don't want to hear about the influence of the Koches, or maybe they don't want to hear about ALEX, and want us to focus on others. Yes, there are others, many were at that meeting, and the Koches are host to these meetings all year at various private locations around the country about long term plans.
They are stealing our future and that of our children. Christie a major part of that. Mittens and Ann Romney have pledged to back Christie with their money for a 2016 presidential run. Think of the damage he's going to do to the people of NJ before that time. Like FL, WI and TX, there will be no going back. It'll be permanent.
