A Stormy Day For Christie Here In NJ.....

[Laxman]

a crazy storm blew through here this afternoon and it was a very apropos event for my neighbor and favorite governor. That tree on his front lawn wasn't the only thing to come crashing down in Christie's world today. I may actually have to go back to the Christie Crime Digest after recent events. Every once in a while you have to think that Karma is real.

First Trump has spurned him as a V.P. candidate. Now being Trump's running mate may very well be much worse than not being his running mate, but that has to sting the big man's ego.

Next, his mentor and confidant David "the General" Samson paid a visit to the Federal Court House in Newark to enter a guilty plea to charges stemming from his dealings with United Air Lines while he was chairman of the powerful Port Authority of NY & NJ. The sordid tale is too long for this post but it is truly a story of abuse of power and corruption that reflects directly on Mr. Christie.

As a capper, the U.S. Attorney announced that Christie's former Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox was also facing charges stemming from the United caper bringing the total of Christie senior level officials criminally charged to 5, with two now having already plead guilty.

The behavior documented in these charges validates all of the other allegations of abuse that have been swirling around Christie ranging from misuse of Sandy aid to the Hoboken shakedown. They all seem quite plausible to anyone who was skeptical now. It all fits with the style of leadership and bulling tactics that have been the hallmark of Christie's reign of terror here in the Garden State.

It seems the dominoes have started to fall and hopefully will continue to tumble until the last big one, Christie himself, comes crashing down.


Gee Mary Pat, do you think somebody is trying to tell us something?

[In_The_Wind]

1. Kick

[Gabi Hayes]

2. yeah...we all scream for ice cream!

cool optical illusion: if you scroll this pic up and down real fast, it turns into an animated gif, with the ice cream moving slightly back and forth....

[lindysalsagal]

3. David Samson plead guilty? Wow!

How do you convict half of a dirty conspiracy and let the other half walk?

Crispie's days may be numbered with this conviction.

Wonder what deal they gave him: He may finally be the one coughing up the dirt on Crispy, or, Crispy may be so well connected, that his underlings will all take the blame.

Hope these judges have body guards....

[Gabi Hayes]

5. Chris, maybe you can hug Obama again, and, as you do,

beg for a pardon.

it could happen!

[randr]

4. Humpty Dumpty comes to mind

[Gabi Hayes]

8. had a great fall...winter, too, I hope!

[jpak]

6. The Invisible Sky People have spoken

yup

[malaise]

7. Holy Moley

A tree really came down

[Laxman]

9. It Was A Crazy 15 Minutes....

here. Wind, lightning, torrential rain, trees down everywhere. There are two articles you should read- David Samson, close confidant of Christie, pleads guilty in airline shakedown and
N.J. power broker Jamie Fox charged for alleged role in 'chairman's flight'. It's all happening now!

Now we'll see if Samson will really be Christie's Delilah!

[malaise]

16. Samson was perfect timing

[Gabi Hayes]

11. did anybody actually see it? maybe they were all hiding.

under a bridge!





this should bring a few yoks to all you Christie fans out there
https://www.google.com/search?q=humpty+dumpty+christie&biw=911&bih=391&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-kobW__PNAhULzmMKHbL4AbAQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=++christie+troll+under+bridge&imgrc=_

and this, just because I found it while looking for the bridge troll...they call him potato in china, doncha know?

[MADem]

10. Here's some "travelling music" for CC of NJ.....

[Gabi Hayes]

12. I love her! did you see the thing Ken Burns did w/her in his Jazz doc?

so sweet, and the miles section was fabulous.

I found this, as a result:

not this one, but the one with all the recordings he made...most not used....for the movie, Louis Malle's first or second, just before Kind of Blue. I bought that one online, and it doesn't appear to be on youtube.

[MADem]

18. That JAZZ doc was truly fantastic~! nt

[Laxman]

13. Some Great Work By WNYC....

detailing this whole sordid affair. Click on the link to the timeline below and this complicated story will be explained. It's true that truth is stranger than fiction. If you wrote this story as fiction, nobody would think it believable.

What started with a dinner at Novita ends in a guilty plea and an indictment. Here's a definitive timeline on how United Airlines courted Christie and his team with meals, campaign contributions and a special flight.

Check out the Timeline prepared by WNYC here: https://project.wnyc.org/united-timeline/

Andrea Bernstein has been doggedly following this story while the rest of the media has been sleeping. This is a time when we need real investigative journalism.

[Historic NY]

21. The top banana is touched yet...

but I'd bet someone will give up the goods as they say.

[rocktivity]

14. I figured you were waiting for the Kelly/Baroni trial to start before continuing the digest

And remember, you can always cross-post the details there from a General Discussion thread.

As this point, I'll be surprised if it happens before the election. But losing Samson as an innocent bystander is a big blow indeed -- particularly to his escaping NJ via a VP slot.


rocktivity

[kairos12]

15. If a tree falls on the Guv's property do the bridge investigator's hear it.

[calimary]

19. Is it wrong that I'm smiling?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

20. Gee Wizz It all happened so fast !

The whole thing just came down. This spells trouble with a capital T !

Trump postpones VP announcement, citing attack in France

[Laxman]

22. This Seems A Good Time To Add This.....

I wish I could take credit for writing this but the credit belongs to former Star-Ledger reporter Bob Braun:

In the end, Chris Christie proved to be exactly what he was–a nobody. A nobody who lost a local Morris County election but who had a brother who could buy him a job he didn’t deserve and had no right to fill, the federal prosecutor’s position in New Jersey.

With his media friends, he built a false image of himself as a corruption fighter–even when he exploited his authority for his own corrupt political ends: Going after Democrats and Republicans who stood in his way, concocting entrapment schemes, leaking toxic information to hurt potential rivals.

The last and worst was his manipulation of the sicko Solomon Dwek to put the final nail in former Gov. Jon Corzine’s political coffin. Yes, that occurred after he resigned–but we all know Christie left behind loyalists who timed the “Bid Rig” investigation to come out just before the 2009 gubernatorial election.

[pnwmom]

23. I'm wondering if Samson will give Christie up in exchange for leniency.

What do you think?

[Laxman]

24. I Don't Know Mom.....

I'm not sure Samson has anything to give up specifically on Christie. It's more the whole criminal enterprise nature of his administration. Christie wasn't in it for money, it was all for his personal aggrandizement and promotion of his career as well as accumulation of power. He had his operatives do his dirty work for him. It almost seems like there was some kind of manual for how to operate in this administration. Everybody pulls the same stunts and pressures and bullies according to the same playbook. Christie didn't have to give instructions because the entire crew knew what to do without being told. The discipline of message and behavior with this administration has always been uncanny and creepy.

[pnwmom]

25. It's amazing to me the risk a wealthy, successful man like Samson was willing to take

just to get a more convenient plane flight every week.

You have to wonder what else he was doing. This must be the tip of the iceberg for him.

[Laxman]

26. That Is Absolutely True....

Hoboken, the American Dream Mall, the NJ Transit Lease, the Harrison Path Station. He was operating with impunity. It's no wonder he felt entitled to hold up United for the flight. Just a perk of doing business that was all part of the compensation package. Where is a great investigative journalist when you need one? Do some digging, make a few phone calls, talk to some witnesses, never know what you might find.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

27. The part about the manual-

Those bastards love those big expensive rental copy machines that are easily switched out. The manual would be an operational directive and if found ,no way to trace from where it actually came or by who's authority.Such an item would be passed around in a seminar type situation ,that way it appears to be part of the program.The paper, the print and the time is donated or anybody could have printed that stuff up from a legal standing.And than there is closed door briefs and word of mouth .

After all everything isn't actually scanned into the computers.No doubt Christie learned how that scam works when he was under the thumb of the Bush administration.You know, all the stuff he learned when he was N.J.federal prosecutor.Short version is no doubt like 10 commands.

[rocktivity]

31. I myself think Samson already has.

Last edited Sun Jul 17, 2016, 03:55 PM - Edit history (1)

After all, both he and Christie can still be busted for Samson's running the both the PA and a law firm that was doing business with the PA. I don't think that Samon's not taking a salary from the PA clears the ethical hurdle.

NJ.com: Samson could get a sentence ranging from probation to up to 24 months in prison, although the crime to which he pleaded guilty has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said.

More


rocktivity

[raven mad]

28. A friend who lives in New Jersey texted me on the phone -

He's crowing about this, loving it!!

[Laxman]

29. I'm Torn On This....

on one hand it validates everything that was seen as wild speculation about just how broad and brazen the Christie administration corruption is. There's also that whole karma catching up with you aspect. On the other hand, this is just so embarrassing. NJ is a great place to live. Christie and his cronies just make it look so bad.

[raven mad]

32. New Jersey and the people who live there are really neat -

pardon my reversion to childhood with the "neat"! I fell in love with the Pine Barrens at all of 16. I'm now 62!

Heck, don't be embarrassed - after all, we have Palin and Don Young, who could out-corrupt Christie in their youth! I still think New Jersey could secede, join Alaska, Oregon, Washington, B.C. and the Yukon Territory. and help us with street cred!

[Laxman]

30. Here Are Some Interesting Words....

to throw back in Christie's face. You think Chuck Todd has the inclination to ask Christie if he remembers that Sunday morning when he was on Meet the Press and Christie got all up in his face for asking this question?

From the depths of the Christie Crime Digest I bring you item # 262. Ah, the answers to all of Christie's problems-Christie: 'Just stop reading newspapers' on Samson investigation: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/09/christie_bridgegate_press.html Why is everybody always picking on me?

Just days after referring to New Jersey's newspapers as "rags," Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday people should "just stop reading newspapers" when it comes to any investigations stemming from the George Washington Bridge lanes closure controversy.

The governor and Republican presidential candidate, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," lashed out at host Chuck Todd when the newsman questioned Christie's judgment on picking senior officials in his administration. Todd referenced three people facing federal charges for their alleged roles in the bridge scandal, as well as the pending federal investigation into a top ally and friend, David Samson.

"First of all, you have absolutely no idea, you have no idea as you sit here today that he did anything wrong — nor does anybody else," said Christie, in defense of Samson.

"And so, let's stop just reading the newspapers," he said. "Let's just stop reading the newspapers and just blathering back what that is. OK?"