Oh dear! Christie Used $6 M in Sandy Funds for Senior Home in Town Whose Dem Mayor Endorsed Him

[malaise]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/28/1273195/-Christie-Used-6-Million-in-Sandy-Funds-for-Senior-Home-in-Town-Whose-Dem-Mayor-Endorsed-Him#
Gov. Chris Christie helped channel $6 million in federal Sandy recovery dollars to a project conceived years before the storm struck, in an Essex County town that was not particularly hard hit.

The development is an $18 million senior center and housing complex in Belleville called Franklin Manor. One third of the cost — $6 million — is being paid for by a $1.8 billion pot of federally funded Community Development Block Grants to help the state recover from Sandy.

The project, which had been in the works for years, was jump-started in the spring. In late April, Belleville Mayor Raymond Kimble had a breakfast meeting with Christie and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo at McLoone’s Boathouse in West Orange. It was the same restaurant where the two men, along with many other Essex County Democrats, would endorse Christie on June 11.

On May 1, when The Star-Ledger asked about the breakfast meeting, Kimble said he planned to endorse Christie and "I think the governor is going to help the town of Belleville with certain projects we need."

[malaise]

1. Clear misuse of Sandy funds

Got the nasty, vindictive ReTHUG scumbag!!!

[Spazito]

2. It keeps getting worse for Christie every day...

as more comes out.

[malaise]

3. It's delish

Christie is history - the crook will soon fall hard

[Spazito]

4. It's looking more and more like he is history and....

not just in his Presidential aspirations. With the Feds investigating him re Sandy funds, if it can shown he used the funds to extort endorsements and actions favoring projects he favored ie Hoboken I can't see how he will even be able to finish his term as Governor.

[malaise]

5. I can't see how he will even be able to finish his term as Governor.

Same here - hope we're right.

[AAO]

20. Rob Ford would be better than Christie

At least he's honest - albeit completely fucked out of his mind.

[Spazito]

21. Nope, he is as honest as Christie...

He lied for months about his smoking crack and didn't admit it until the video became public. He's still lying about everything else as well. Christie and Ford could be twins in many ways.

[AAO]

22. Yeah, but Ford is funnier.

[Spazito]

25. LOL very true! n/t

[truebluegreen]

6. I was watching Kornacki over the weekend

and the connecting dots were appalling: heisting much of the money for the new tunnel (which he didn't have anything to do with) and using it on projects (with ribbon-cutting and grandstanding) in NJ that he would get credit for...it was all about playing for the crowd and running for president.

What kind of a governor does that? What kind of a person would think he could put it all to bed with a marathon press conference?

And this guy was the one Serious and Sober Republicans wanted to run for president? Wow.

[malaise]

7. Sadly it worked for him from school days to now

He really thought he could carry his bullying and BS to the highest level.
Arrogance and hubris will get you every time and it's delish watching him come to a hard crash.

[truebluegreen]

8. Bug, meet Windshield.

I think the best thing is he has climbed so high, and will fall so far, that he will not/cannot recover. There will be no rehabbing this guy.

[malaise]

9. Yep it's one hell of a fall we're watching

and I'm lovin' it

[maindawg]

10. vile

I haven't seen anyone this big fall so far so fast since Nixon. He was the GOP standard bearer. They were polishing this turd for the past 6 years.
You wonder how they could be so stupid. How did they ever think this guy was what they were looking for? Hes not good looking. Hes a hard line conservative who gets into shouting matches with his constituents. What president does that? Can you imagine?
We had to endure 8 long years with an idiot son ,it destroyed our economy to this day.
You have to wonder.

[malaise]

11. It's all they know

Loot the government, loot the pensioners, get rich and keep power by any means necessary.
This shite won't stop until there are some heavy prison sentences. Hope he ends up as Blago's cellmate.

[Kablooie]

12. He's a real winner.

This would have all dribbled out once he declared his candidacy anyway.

We are getting it out of the way early because of the bridge scandal but it might have been more effective during the presidential campaign.

The Republicans would have to pull him out of the running and hastily throw someone else up on the ticket.
That would have been fun to watch.

[Isoldeblue]

13. Watching the fall of Christie is

better than any juicy, delicious soap opera. Each day brings a new story about this corrupt, egotistical Napoleonic type guy

I never miss Rachel now and Karnacky on the week-ends. She gives the best detailed news on him each night, licking her chops while doing it.

[malaise]

14. You are right about better than a soap opera

I so look forward to the next episode

[duggie99]

15. Christy Down Fall

I hate to say this but I'm smiling!!!!

[malaise]

16. Join the smiling line

and welcome to DU

[duggie99]

17. Booed

I just saw on MSNBC that at a function for the Super Bowl with the governor of New York he was booed as he was taking the stage. Oh by the way GO BRONCOS!!!!!

[malaise]

18. I saw it on Rev Al - hilarious

[mountain grammy]

24. Aww, poor widdle Christie needs a friend, even if it's a Democrat

De Blasio sure was being nice to the Governor. Maybe he just feels sorry for the guy, you know, with prison staring him in the face and all.

[Bigmack]

19. The word is Schadenfreude.... and it feels good. nt

[flamingdem]

23. How the hell is he going to worm out of this one?

What their names were all "Sandy" and someone messed up the paperwork, fire them!

[hughee99]

26. The money was for "Community development" in the wake of Sandy,

and it was used to build a senior home. He spent 6 million dollar out of 1.8 Billion on this project. If you can't PROVE the quid-pro-quo you have to argue that the senior home wasn't needed or isn't "community development". And while the county was "not particularly hard hit" it doesn't mean it wasn't affected, so he can argue he was justified in spending at least SOME money there. You'll also hear something like "A lot of Mayors endorsed me and a lot of those towns got money, if I hadn't distributed money in those towns, some of the same people would be complaining about that". It's arrogant and dismissive enough and that seems to be his "style". That will be his defense and without a smoking gun on the quid-pro-quo, it will be enough for many.

[flamingdem]

27. Hmm. So this is just dampness and not quite a drip

However a picture is being formed in the mind of the average voter.

[hughee99]

28. This is one of those stories that sort of adds to a pattern

but in and of itself won't do him any specific damage. He'll be as dismissive of this as possible and try to portray the story as a strictly political attack.

[weissmam]

29. Look on the bright side

Stripes make you look thinner

[Beacool]

30. This is getting good.

Hey Christie, as a resident of Hoboken, where the HELL is our relief money????

[Laxman]

31. When Hurricane Sandy Hit...

the conservative republicans were reticent to allocate large sums of money to recovery efforts. Unfortunately, every story like this makes their miserly and callous response seem prudent. Sandy money, allocated through Community Development Block Grants, were designed to be spent in a number of ways to address the myriad of Sandy's effects. It was a once in a generation investment to recover and at the same time reduce vulnerability for the future. It was not to be doled out for any project that could even marginally be linked to Sandy. Belleville suffered some flooding in a largely industrial and commercial area along the tidal Passaic River. This project was nowhere near the flooding. This project has no connection with the flooding or its effects. This is an example of how Christie has utilized this pot of money for personal political effect, not well considered recovery measures.

[malaise]

35. I know well about the looting of hurricane money

TIme for men and women to go to prison - this madness must cease.

[mucifer]

32. Lots of slimy things are legal. I hope this isn't legal.

[Cha]

33. KIck!

[Gothmog]

34. Christie will not be POTUS

He is toast