Prosecutor Targets NJ Gov. Chris Christie
Oh, my! It looks more and more as if a GOP “Golden Boy” who clearly had his eye on even higher office is just another elected crook. (If you think you’ve read those exact words elsewhere, you did.)
“It’s over, it’s done, and I’m moving on.” — Chris Christie, reassuring potential donors in Utah on June 14th
Back on planet Reality, meanwhile, Paul Fishman, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, wades through the sewage of Christie’s stewardship. Two sources with intimate knowledge of the case say Fishman’s pace is quickening — he has empaneled a second grand jury, and the U.S. Justice Department has sent assistant prosecutors and FBI agents to work the case.
“What’s taking the most time,” according to one source, “is separating what’s viable from all the bad stuff they’re finding that may not be viable.”
Fishman’s challenge is to nail down specific criminal charges on several fronts — the diversion of Port Authority money to fund New Jersey road and bridge projects; the four-day rush-hour closures of George Washington Bridge lanes in Ft. Lee; and a web of real-estate deals spun by David Samson, long a Christie crony, when he chaired the PA’s Board of Commissioners as Christie’s appointee. (One such deal, a stalled office-tower development in Hoboken, New Jersey, is central to a claim that Christie’s lieutenant governor told the town’s mayor that the state would withhold Hurricane Sandy relief aid from Hoboken if the mayor didn’t sign off on the development project.)
Whatever Christie says or does — and whatever potential donors or Jimmy Fallon and his viewers think — the question that truly matters is whether Fishman’s pursuit leads to the governor himself. Christie’s Port appointees — not only Samson, but former PA Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni and his oddball sidekick David Wildstein — all face near-certain indictment and are being pressed to hand up Christie, as is the governor’s former chief counsel, Charlie McKenna.
Obewon June 19th, 2014 at 3:27 pm
Christie & Walker the Koch Bros greatest felony kingpins tumble in unison as prosecutors bowl a strike slamming GOP frontrunners into the gutter.
granpa.usthai June 19th, 2014 at 9:31 pm
at least the GOP will always have Romney to fail back on.
BanditBasheert June 19th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
Christie will toss everyone to the wolves and try to wiggle out by blaming all of his staff. The Koch Bros are doing “really well” aren’t they?
Clarify? would the second Grand Jury be state or Federal? I assume Federal since Fishman is a US attorney. Federal charges would be a lot funner …
Here’s hoping that Christie’s minions see they are being sacrificed for the Great Giant Turd and they turn on him. Immunity tends to give people the will to speak freely. If his people don’t wake up and see they are going down – they deserve everything they get when this shakes out.
granpa.usthai June 19th, 2014 at 9:30 pm
sad to see this happen to Governor Christie, loved his fired up infomercial technique. He could still be a motivation for a lot of people, even if incarcerated for several years/decades at a federal/state correctional facility.
Salutes to you, governor, even during your alleged criminal activities being publicized, you attempted a hell of a come back. Too bad you won’t be able to serve as POTUS if convicted.