Christie camp held Sandy relief money hostage, mayor alleges

[deminks]

Source: MSNBC

Two senior members of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration warned a New Jersey mayor earlier this year that her town would be starved of hurricane relief money unless she approved a lucrative redevelopment plan favored by the governor, according to the mayor and emails and personal notes she shared with msnbc.

The mayor, Dawn Zimmer, hasn’t approved the project, but she did request $127 million in hurricane relief for her city of Hoboken – 80% of which was underwater after Sandy hit in October 2012. What she got was $142,000 to defray the cost of a single back-up generator plus an additional $200,000 in recovery grants.

In an exclusive interview, Zimmer broke her silence and named Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and Richard Constable, Christie’s community affairs commissioner, as the two officials who delivered messages on behalf of a governor she had long supported.

(snip)

In this account – supported by email, public records and Zimmer’s own diary entries – Christie’s inner circle was willing to cut off devastated constituents, muscle a friendly mayor and arrange public funds to finance a study for a project the governor supported.In a news conference last week, Christie rejected the notion that his administration engages in retribution or seeks political payback. Zimmer’s account paints a different portrait.

(end snip)

Read more: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/mayor-christie-camp-held-sandy-money-hostage

[jsr]

1. Typical Mafia shakedown

[Stuart G]

2. I sure hope that this is the "smoking gun"

This should be it, but who knows?.. k and r.

[DURHAM D]

3. So now we can assume -

The reason for the shut down of GWB was to put the squeeze on the mayor of Ft. Lee because, like the mayor of Hoboken, he was resisting the conditions from Samson (Christie's money guy on development at the Port Authority) that were being shoved on him.

I thought from the first interview that the mayor of Ft. Lee was frightened, scared of something. Now we know... If the mayor didn't out Christie's corruption his redevelopment might go ahead. If he talked it will encounter a storm.

Samson is the key. The entire Christie administration is corrupt.

[Sienna86]

4. RICO ?

Pretty stiff penalties under RICO. Possible charges of bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice may bring this under RICO.

[mucifer]

5. Typical stuff that puts an Illinois Governor in prison.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?id=8973798

I hope that's where Christie goes.

Not being president is not enough.

[1StrongBlackMan]

12. It would/will put christie in jail ...

if it can be established that Christie directed, or knew about, the extortion attempt. Christ will throw these top aides under the bus and claim they were rogue agents.

[Arugula Latte]

30. I'd be surprised. You know why? IOKIYRAR

It's okay if you are a Republican. Different rules and punishments apply for them.

[cosmicone]

19. It will be a tight fit in a 6'x8' cell. n/t

[JBoy]

22. Not even big enough to play beanbag. n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

6. The very essence of Jersey politics. nt

[1StrongBlackMan]

13. Politics everywhere. n/t

[Bradical79]

7. If this is how he treats his loyal suporters

I think he's screwed. He's Dick Cheney Jr. with less political smarts. Good luck getting any of your stooges to take the fall Governor. Christie would probably be lucky to avoid prison much less salvage any future career in politics.

[giftedgirl77]

8. Someone got way to big for their britches...

[ColumbusLib]

25. Or as a former Ft. Lee mayor said on UP this morning

"Too big for their bridges"- in relation to the uncontrolled growth of the Port Authority- but it's still pretty apt.

[giftedgirl77]

26. I heard that while on my way to the grocery store...

[avebury]

9. If the NJ Lt. Governor did threaten the Mayor

of Hobken, that has to put the scandal right into Christie's office. A Lt. Governor is not going to threaten someone on behalf of a lessor staff member.

[onehandle]

10. Ok. Now I am beginning to believe he will have to resign. nt

[wordpix]

28. he will probably fight awhile first, thinking his rich puppet masters will save him

like the developers who just HAD to get their project built in Hoboken

[Berlum]

11. There's a reason people call them ReThugs (R)

[mountain grammy]

14. Yet another smoking gun, guvner....

and now you'll be haunted by the ghost of Frank Sinatra.

Here it is, America, the big, bloated, corrupt GOP. To me, Christie represents everything wrong with my country.

[riversedge]

15. Meanwhile---real people and their families are not in their

homes yet--. That is the real problem--it is the average family that is suffering while the Gov makes deals.

[Cracklin Charlie]

18. Thanks for adding this point.

I know someone who just returned to their New Jersey home.

[riversedge]

16. ..Constable and Christie – through spokespersons – deny Zimmer’s claims...

Time will sort it out. Looks like Zimmer has the right emails to put another nail in the Gov Christie Administration nasty governing tactics!


....Constable and Christie – through spokespersons – deny Zimmer’s claims.

“Mayor Zimmer has been effusive in her public praise of the Governor’s Office and the assistance we’ve provided in terms of economic development and Sandy aid,” Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak wrote in a statement. “What or who is driving her only now to say such outlandishly false things is anyone’s guess.”

But Zimmer’s statements and documentation suggest that Christie’s administration – hailed for what seemed like a heroic response to Hurricane Sandy – in fact refused to help some of the neediest.

[watoos]

17. I saw the same rah, rah, posts about Scott Walker

and he may end up running for president.
Christie was a prosecutor, he took steps to insulate himself. The Lt. Governor talked to Mayor Zimmer one on one, no witnesses. We can only hope that more people come forward with similar stories, which by the way, probably won't be able to be proven either.
No, the best that I see coming from this is that this will destroy the made up narrative contrived by the M$M that Christie was a straight shooter, that he worked across the aisles. I think that Christie will skate but he will be now looked on as just another typical N.J. politician.
By the way, giving Wildstein immunity may end up being the escape hatch for Christie, picture this, Wildstein gets immunity and then confesses that he was behind everything.

[riversedge]

24. yes, there were lots of rah rah stories related to the

john doe investigation. Was it 6 aides that were convicted. and Walkers office was just down the hall. He claimed he knew nothing---just like christie is doing. yes, the rah rah is premature. But this Sandy side story seems different to me. Christie was MEAN if this pans out--to real life hurricane victims--many who are still living in trailers. It this story has legs and that is a big if, people will think differently about the Bully. Zimmer is putting her political life on the line here.


Lots of IFs but this all seems so plausible IMHO.

[Beacool]

20. Hoboken is where I live.

Last edited Sat Jan 18, 2014, 06:12 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't know Zimmer very well, but she seems like a straight shooter. I don't think that she was making up this story, what for?

Hoboken suffered the most flooding of the cities by the Hudson, it was more than 50% under water. Although there was no comparison to the devastation of some of the Atlantic shore towns, some were completely destroyed.

It is demonstrably true that the city only got $300K of the $100M that the mayor had requested (about 1% of the money). After Sandy Christie had come to Hoboken, met with town folks and met in private with the mayor. He had vowed to help the city. Zimmer said that she had been approached to endorse Christie and that she, as a Democrat, had declined. She thought that the pittance that Hoboken got in relief money was payback for not endorsing him in his reelection bid.

These bastards are downright arrogant!!! Why should a political official of the opposing party be obligated to endorse the governor???? The gall of Christie and his lackeys is appalling.

[Kingofalldems]

21. Smoking Gun #12 by my count.

[hrmjustin]

23. Wow, just wow!

[kestrel91316]

27. Can somebody please explain to me the difference between Christie and

a typical mob kingpin? Because I'm seriously not seeing any.........

[Skittles]

29. add Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and Richard Constable to the subpoena list