During his opening remarks this morning in the Bridgegate trial of Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, prosecutor Vikas Khanna insisted that Gov. Chris Christie knew about the closing of multiple lanes on the George Washington Bridge while it was ongoing. Not only that, but he said he has evidence that Baroni and another Christie thug, David Wildstein, had bragged to Christie about their scheme to mess with the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey in retaliation for his refusal to endorse Christie’s reelection effort.
Now, Brother Benen says that a lot of Republicans are relieved that Trump didn’t pick Christie as his running mate as it now turns out that he was lying all along and could easily be impeached as a result.
What I think is interesting though is that other people on the periphery of this story have benefitted from Christie’s decision to endorse Trump.
For example, even though Bill Stepien (who twice served as Christie’s campaign manager and as deputy chief of staff) was let go as part of Christie’s effort at damage control of the scandal, he was nevertheless hired by Trump as his national field director.
Another former Christie aide, Matt Mowers, who was the point man in trying to secure the endorsement of Fort Lee’s mayor, Mark Sokolich, is likewise working for Trump’s presidential campaign.
If you’re a loyal lieutenant, you never really get fired. Although, it seems like Christie did sell Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni down the river. The only way he might have saved them is to admit his role in the lane closings, but he asked them to fall on their swords for him. In any case, he couldn’t even attempt to save them without taking responsibility for their actions.
Maybe they’ll get lucky like G. Gordon Liddy or Ollie North and find jobs waiting for them at Trump’s new alt-right news channel. There’s always a place for your Mark Fuhrmans and Charles ‘Tex’ Colsons. And look at Roger Stone. He struts around like he’s never committed a crime in his life.
Still, gridlocking the George Washington Bridge for days just to punish a mayor of the other party for not endorsing you is a dirty trick even Stone wouldn’t have contemplated.
Anyone involved in that scheme should be toxic, but Trump is happy to hire them since he likes how they operate.
Over the years there have been Democrats who resigned in disgrace or went to prison. Somehow, they didn’t wind up with radio and television programs or employed by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Why is that?
Good thing Christie is dumb and petty enough to pull such a stunt; otherwise, he could have ended up as the 2016 GOP nominee. (Must remember not to reject dumb and petty when trying to assess political scandals.)
Some survive and some don’t. Plenty of Republicans went down for good and some Democrats weren’t exiled. Generally depends on the advantages to the big cheese of sacrificing (or throwing under the bus) a subordinate/inferior. This painting of Democrats as pure and honorable is getting pathetic.
I was terrified of Christie and so became utterly obsessed with the Bridgegate scandal, much as I did with Valerie Plame (not being able to think about anything other than l’Affaire Plame is why my screen name is “obsessed”).
But looking back, how on earth is it that we never started calling her Bridge-ette?
I admit, I sometimes get a little riled that every fucking thing is called -gate.
Watergate was 45 fucking years ago. Pick a more relevant name.
I used BridgeTrolls but “gate” won.
I would assume because a chunk of the Dem base and office holders actually wants clean politicians (dollar Bill Jefferson for instance) but the GOP mostly operates under an “our bastard” standard since they’re temperamentally more tribal they care more about whether the guy is punching hippies than corrupt.
Not sure who is being thrown here (but one can surmise the intent): Politico
Slight problem from a 2010 WaPo article:
This is silly. If someone worked at the Clinton foundation, passed the civil service exam, and was hired at State, so what? These things happen all the time. I worked in private consulting, then went to government, then back. I even got recommendations from folks in the agency that hired me! Am I corrupt?
I get you don’t like Hillary. But nonsense piled on nonsense doesn’t mean anything. Vague connections and conspiracy–pull the lever for Trump. If Bernie’s budget committee chair, and you don’t want to give him a White House he can work with to actually move progressive policies, here’s your chance!
I agree. I have a similar background, and I have moved between the private and public sphere throughout my career. And I’ve gotten recommendations from supervisors in both the private and public sphere.
Admittedly, I’m a small fry, but these things happen a lot. It’s called work experience.
It’s getting pretty thin on the ground to point this out as some giant stinking “thing” with Clinton. Enough of that crap.
If any former colleagues put you at the head of the line (or excluded others from the line in favor of you), then that’s corruption.
If you were also handing out bucks to a public employee’s family members or side interests and also got any consideration (over the legally allowable token thank you gift of less than $50) from that public employee, it’s corruption.
Not difficult to understand even if your paycheck depends on not understanding it.
“If any former colleagues put you at the head of the line (or excluded others from the line in favor of you), then that’s corruption.”
This is such a thoroughly incorrect statement that I’m surprised you didn’t reconsider before posting it. It suggests an ordered, defined “line” has been formed to fill civil service jobs.
The only place where that might be true are lower-level positions where a Union contract dictates that qualified people within the bargaining unit must be hired by seniority. You gotta bring that evidence, though. You can’t make such a flat, absolute statement and expect us to accept it.
Jesus Christ.
Networking is now a sign of corruption.
Isn’t that contra to the “meritocracy” we are supposed to be running? How DO you think the C+ offspring of the 1%ers maintain their lifestyles?
Is it corruption? Is anything these days of the Robert’s court? It is certainly the way things are run in a couple African states I follow. Tribal solidarity.
This is about only the political appointees at State.
It does not include Foreign Service or Civil Service employees.
And it ignores the fact that a Civil Service or Foreign Service employee would be the one who would have to call “Time” on any requests for favors that crossed the line. And there are limits to how heavy a political employee manager can be with Foreign Service or Civil Service workers who will outlast the President.
I think that it’s time to stop savaging Bernie Sanders for running a strong primary. It should have been stronger, given the current state of things.
Who was “savaging” Bernie? All I did was note that if one does not want to give Bernie a White House he can work with as budget committee chair, do what you can to elect Trump.
This stuff is like candy to the perpetually anti-Clinton. You can label anything as corruption once you define it down to the most innocuous of things.
For those with Clinton Derangement Syndrome only the appearance of the possibility of corruption that never happened matters.
.
The buck stops elsewhere.
As a practical matter, it does anyway. Clinton will tell you how the game is played in most administrations.
Haven’t we been explicitly told that Obama refused it? Since he wouldn’t hire Blumenthal?
Good catch there.
Color me unsurprised that Trump would hire some of Christie’s crooked cast-offs. They’re the type of worker that Trump likes. Willing to eff over anyone by any means to achieve whatever “end” is determined. Figures.
And no, I don’t believe all D pols are lily white and never ever do harm. They do. Some are corrupt as well. However, in this instance we are discussing corrupt individuals who did corrupt things that caused a lot of problems and cost a lot of money while working for Christie. Known facts. And now they’re working for Trump. Do the math.
I just spent a bit of time searching for the quote ascribed to the Washington Post upthread. Well, perhaps the quote appeared in various places, including the Washington Post, but my search turned it up here, in the Sydney Morning Herald on March 13, 2010. The article has the title “Welcome to Hillaryland, feel free to complain”, with the following subtitle: “Hillary Clinton’s hands-on approach at the State Department has seen her debate everything from Pakistan policy to food in the canteen – and it’s won her many fans”.
Sorry, the Sydney Morning Herald item paraphrased the item attributed to the Washington Post. It wasn’t a full quotation. My error. What the article had to say is still interesting.
Once a whole GOP Administration is allowed to Lie the USA into War and given a huge pass on being held accountable. That is the main reason the GOP gets away with so much, the standard of accountability was set low and in stone for the GOP.