NYT: Chris Christie 'Suspiciously Connected' To Revenge Traffic Jam

[Capt. Obvious]

A massive traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge is "beginning to look suspiciously connected" to one of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) political feuds, according to a column in the New York Times.

The column Tuesday on the alleged "New Jersey Traffic Conspiracy" noted two of the three access lanes allowing drivers from Fort Lee, N.J. onto the bridge to New York were closed last summer shortly after the town's Democratic mayor, Mark Sokolich, declined to endorse Christie's re-election bid. Sokolich has indicated he believes his lack of support for Christie led to the traffic jam, which the column said temporarily turned his town into a "parking lot."

At a hearing on Monday, the column said several witnesses indicated they share Sokolich's suspicions, including Patrick Foye, who is the executive director of the agency Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which oversees the bridge. Foye was appointed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

The Times column said bridge workers were told the lane closures were caused by a non-existent "traffic study" and Foye said it was ordered by David Wildstein, a Port Authority official and longtime Christie confidante. Wildstein announced on Friday he will resign from Port Authority effective Jan. 1. According to the column, Christie denied he played any role in the lane closures and called the theory politics played a role "crazy."

TPM

He who controls the traffic, controls the world!

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Nice of Wildstein to take the bullet for Christie.

Wanna bet he surfaces again in another gov. job?

[tridim]

2. Anyone who doesn't think Christie is a vindictive weasel needs to look harder.

He would be seriously dangerous as President.

[LiberalEsto]

7. Imagine Christie going head to head with Putin

If that's not a recipe for WWIII, I don't know what is.

[JDPriestly]

14. +1000000

A deeply mean individual.

[gussmith]

18. You Got That Right

Christie is just showing signs of his true nature. We will not need a vindictive autocrat in the White House. Please pay attention and remember what we have seen from this bully.

[calimary]

40. Welcome to DU, gussmith!

Glad you're here! We need all the opposition research we can get on this fellow. He's dangerous. He's a bad guy. And I don't like the idea of some pugnacious bully in the White House swaggering around with a chip on his shoulder and an arrogance that just makes me retch. Too many people seem to be in love with him for exactly this reason. I don't see it. Frankly, I think he's an ASSHOLE!!!

[okaawhatever]

25. I think he's behind the Menendez prostitute scandal. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) was appointed to his

first term as a Senator. During his first election campaign the "October Surprise" was a revelation by Federal prosecutor for New Jersey that he was "under investigation". After the election no charges were filed and it wasn't mentioned again. Long speculated to be a political maneuver by the Republicans, when the list of prosecutors to be fired by George Bush became public, it was revealed that the prosecutor who mentioned the Menendez investigation (Chris Christie) was on the list to be fired. Once the "investigation" his office was doing on Menendez was announced he was removed from the list of to-be-fired prosecutors.
When Chris Christie had his 15 minutes of fame post Hurricane Sandy and his name was being mentioned for potus, another scandal about Menendez was mentioned about two prostitutes. It was based on a tip that couldn't be verified. When that didn't get enough traction, the caller called back and said the girls were underage. Immediate stories of pedophilia hit the right wing circuit. (Even though the prostitutes were supposedly sixteen or seventeen.) Even the anti-corruption group CREW said they thought the claim was bogus. Christie is/has gone after anyone who knows where the bodies are buried.

http://www.salon.com/2011/09/30/christie_menendez/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/03/04/lawyer-accusations-senator-menendez-false/1963457/

[QuestForSense]

28. He's already seriously dangerous as Governor of New Jersey.

Last edited Fri Dec 13, 2013, 07:36 PM - Edit history (1)

And he just won re-election. Those who so fervently believe the GOP is on it's way down-like-the-Hindenburg should be shaking like the ground under Christie's boots.

[CTyankee]

3. I'm SO glad the NYT picked up this story...I saw it on Rachel's show and hoped it would get

more legs...

[Little Star]

8. +1

[malaise]

4. Rachel has been giving this excellent coverage

Washington Post also had one of the first articles on this dangerous, nasty, vindictive act - so typically Christie.
The worst part of this story is the lies about the non-existent study.

The problem for Christie and his goons is that the bridge is controlled by both New York and New Jersey so they were bound to get caught.

[Little Star]

9. Christie and his goons=not too bright. Dumb shits!....

Rachel's right,the whole thing is like a Pauly Walnut's moment.

Those poor people of Fort Lee, NJ. Their town turned into a parking lot for almost a week, what a pain, dangerous too.

[Gothmog]

51. Agreed

Rachel has bed doing a great job on this story. The WSJ has also been doing so great reporting here. I wonder if Murdoch has decided not to support Christie in 2016

[Atman]

5. This sounds EXACTLY like something Christie would do.

He is a mean, nasty, vindictive prick. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Ironically, he could have blocked access to the bridge himself just by standing on the center line.

[Little Star]

11. Petty also pops to mind.

[Mopar151]

6. How very Nixon of him....

Vindictive is not a trait you want in an elected offical...

[Botany]

10. The NY Times drops the hammer

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/nyregion/investigating-political-hack-work-near-the-george-washington-bridge.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

"And second, the hack who closed the lanes got his job at the Port Authority through the patronage of Governor Christie, a high school classmate. Governor Christie’s man was on a corner in Fort Lee at 7 a.m. on the first day of the lane closings, watching the traffic monstrosity build, according to recent testimony at hearings in New Jersey."

[CTyankee]

13. uh-oh, this will be so much fun if the Guv decides to run for prez...

nothing like portraying CC as a dirty pool playing hack who sends goons to carry out his personal vendetta, affecting thousands of ordinary people just trying to get to work...if he runs against HRC he'd better watch out...her people will do a masterful job of destroying his "great" profile...

[Botany]

15. Christie shouldn't worry about others destroying his reputation because ....

.... he is doing it all on his own.

[CTyankee]

16. I hope he keeps it up!

[mikeysnot]

21. Yes, I wonder if the "media" will portray this as New Jersey style politics

like they do with the Presidents "Chicago Style" politics.

Whatever that means....

[malaise]

26. I posted Rachel's initial report

Out of this world - you have to see it. She includes comments from Dems in the legislature - the ads are written

[CTyankee]

49. "Would you trust this guy to have his finger on the nuclear button?"

I can see the ad now...

[malaise]

50. Oh yes - and there will be other ads

[penndragon69]

12. When the Jersey " GOD FATHER "

tells you to take a bullet for him, that's what you do.
Because you know things will get bad for you and your
family if you don't OBEY.

[George II]

17. Another traffic incident.....

Back in 2010, when Christie announced that the wanted to close the two race tracks in New Jersey, the Department of Transportation "coincidentally" began reconstruction of the main road leading to Monmouth Park just before their 2011 season began, creating backups of an hour for a trip that normally takes about 10 minutes. Then he "proved" that attendance was way down!

[KamaAina]

33. I am so telling Republican Stepdad that

He loves Monmouth Park. He and Mom go all the time when they're down there. They vote in NY, though.

[joeybee12]

19. This is what bullies do...knr

[Greybnk48]

24. +10000

That's exactly right. He is a textbook bully.

[Logical]

35. He is the classic bully. I cannot stand him. n-t

[90-percent]

20. Childish and ignorant

The public safety aspects alone are staggering! What if there were ambulances and other emergency vehicles that had to pass?

The threat to public safety is staggering and to do it for petty personal reasons is intolerable. Christie should be criminally prosecuted out of office for this! Or have his political career ruined.

We can't have people that think like a five year old holding any public office!

-90% jimmy

[fleabiscuit]

22. That is the sort of direction I'd like to see this move.

We live in complicated times. I wouldn't be the least surprised that the Hudson River is considered a "strategic resource" that can get you in a big pile of shit if you do stupid things like messing with traffic across it. I'd like to see the locals push to have some feds from homeland security show up and ask questions. Let's see if anyone is up to lying to a federal officer.

[SunSeeker]

29. Yup. Sure sounds like domestic terrorism to me. nt

[Auggie]

23. +1

[Dawson Leery]

27. Chris Christie, the Richard Nixon of New Jersey.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

30. I think Hillary is behind this rumor

[SunSeeker]

31. Sorry, Christie. Wildstein has been hit with a subpoena. This is not going away.

[NJCher]

32. traffic study

As I am a person engaged in the business of conducting studies, I know there is a long paper trail before one is conducted. People who conduct studies are, if anything, overzealous in their plans for a study. Dates are selected well in advance. Unless it is a study that is regularly and routinely done, a methodology would be written.

In other words, there should be a long paper trail of planning for this study.

Now, having conducted the study, what are the results? Public information! Somebody is bound to request a FOIA. This should be fun.

And studies are not miraculously conducted by themselves. Where are the study workers? Who was doing what? Come forward, workers! Tell us what you did and what you learned.

Oh, and what did the Port Authority do with the information? Who presented it--and to whom? What policies, if any, were changed as a result of the study?



Cher

[KamaAina]

34. There was no study

they just told the workers that that was why they were blocking the roads.

[NJCher]

36. yeah, I know

That's my point. A very dumb lie.

Couldn't they come up with something better than a traffic study? Apparently not.


Cher

[Botany]

47. or a traffic study where you didn't have any cars either?

If you had a study then you would have reports, data, and paper trail too so where is
that stuff?

[NJCher]

61. LOL, yeah, cars, too!

Here's a new development:

http://www.wnyc.org/story/ex-port-authority-exec-said-be-buying-rivals-web-addresses/

This guy Wildstein used to be the mayor in the town next to me.

I don't blame these officials for being appalled that he bought a web domain for their name. Wonder what this creep has planned?


Cher

[Cha]

37. "Crazy"? then come up with an Explanation, Christie of why it happened.

It was crazy that it happened for no reason except some stupid answer of a "traffic report". Now that's CRAZY!

[K.O. Stradivarius]

38. Sounds like something Mayors Daley and Daley would have been proud of.

[Jimvanhise]

39. No outrage from Christie?

I've seen Christie joke about his possible involvement in this, but where is his outrage over a public servant abusing their power and creating problems for New Jersey residents? Laughing it off makes him look more guilty, not less guilty.

[Bjorn Against]

41. If this has legs Christie can kiss his political career goodbye

We have all been late because of traffic before and we all know how much it sucks to be stuck bumper to bumper, I have to deal with it every night as do many others. People are not going to take kindly to having their day wasted because of a petty political grudge. If it comes out that any emergency vehicles were delayed because of this he will be in even more trouble.

I had been seriously worried about him as a Presidential candidate, but if this is true he can kiss his presidential ambitions goodbye.

[mwb970]

46. This will be traced to Christie and will likely end his presidential campaign.

If it doesn't happen with this, it will be something else. Christie simply does not have the right temperament to be president, or even a viable candidate. He comes across as a buffoonish bully. Since republicans don't like him much, and Americans don't like republicans much, I don't see much of a future for him.

[Bjorn Against]

48. Yeah, unless they can produce the study they claim to have been conducting he is in trouble

And if they could produce the study it seems they would have produced it already, all evidence suggests that they lied and there never was a study. If traffic had only been shut down for a few hours Christie could have probably blamed it on some lower ranked officials and weaseled out of it, but when it went on for five days and he could have ordered the reopening of the lanes at any time during those five days I don't see how he avoids this being pinned directly to him.

[mwb970]

53. What kind of study has to be "kept quiet"?

The guy who ordered this was told "not to tell anyone", not even the local police, that they were suddenly closing down two lanes of the most-traveled bridge in the WORLD on the first day of school. There was no advance warning of the "study", no vote, no press release, no formal documents at all.

Let's face it. There was no study. It's a lie. Christie has stepped in it this time.

[Bjorn Against]

56. Yeah, it is difficult to even fathom the level of stupidity here

When they decided to claim there was a traffic study as their excuse it seems they would have considered the possibility that someone might actually want to look at the study. Now Christie has to produce a study that does not exist and the longer he stonewalls the worse it is going to get for him. I never liked Christie but I never thought he was stupid until now, this was an act of pure stupidity and I am going to have fun watching him squirm every time this is brought up.

[lordsummerisle]

42. "got a nice little town here"

"it'd be a shame if somethin were to happen to it...".

[awoke_in_2003]

60. That is about it. nt

[freshwest]

43. Christie acts like a crime boss and believes NJ is his territory awarded by the Koch brothers.

I compiled some things on him:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014671020#post8

The entire GOP is an organized criminal conspiracy designed to steal all public assets for their rich masters.

Tthey don't even bother to hide it anymore. Vote them all out or plan to lose all your freedoms.

[WowSeriously]

44. A whole bunch of Democratic pols endorsed this clown.

Many, many Democrats voted for this clown.

Why did the party abandon Buono?

[nikto]

45. CHRISTIE's personality is way too unstable and dangerous...

For him to be President.



Which means he's the perfect GOP candidate.

[madrchsod]

52. new york is pissed cause chris cancelled his part of the tunnel project

it cost new jersey cash because of the cancellation and it made the problem more expensive in the future.

[edhopper]

54. He doesn't seem to get

the well being of his State in the way of political grandstanding.
This was a disastrous decision that cost NJ jobs, money and is absolutely necessary.

[Smarmie Doofus]

55. My son's school bus uses those access roads every day. It's no joke. Also....

How does this qualify as a "feud"? That word implies that two parties are equally guilty. What did the mayor of Ft Lee do to deserve this apparent retaliation against the citizens of his town.... not to mention agains the citizens of *many* towns on both sides of the river? He supported the nominee of his party.




>>>>A massive traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge is "beginning to look suspiciously connected" to one of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) political feuds, according to a column in the New York Times. >>>>

Maybe this explains the curious behavior of the NJ DEM quislings ( not to mention the quislings in DC) who crossed over to the dark side in that election or sat on their fidgety little fingers.

[ZX86]

57. This doesn't pass the smell test on any level.

Why isn't Christie leading the charge to find out what happened?

Why does Christie initially make jokes about a serious public safety issue?

Where is the traffic study?

What is the purpose of the traffic study?

Why were citizens and other public safety agencies not notified of lane closures?

Why were state employees specifically directed not to tell anyone?

Why are officials responsible resigning?

Why is Christie accepting resignations?

It is very telling that Christie is not apologizing to the people of his state and vowing to hold those responsible to account.

[thucythucy]

58. This raises "political gridlock"

to a whole other level.

[awoke_in_2003]

59. And this assclown is going to run for president. nt