[steel_horse75]

Good cover version

Royals - Bruce Springsteen - Mt Smart Stadium,...

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In a previous episode of "Why Bruce Was Right About Chris Christie," Port Authority police union chief Paul Nunziato announced he was taking a leave of absence from his "day to day" duties. He is on record as saying that it was he who approached PA exec David Wildsten with the question of whether Fort Lee had too many access lanes:

Bill Baroni, Mr. Wildstein’s superior at the Port Authority and another Christie ally, offered testimony to the legislative committee in November that indicated that Mr. Nunziato suggested to Mr. Wildstein in July that he close two bridge access lanes as part of a traffic study...

Mr. Nunziato never disputed that characterization...Even before Mr. Baroni’s testimony, Mr. Nunziato openly mocked those who had contended that the lane closings were politically motivated...suggest(ting) that such a view was akin to conspiracy theories about where Jimmy Hoffa might be buried...

In a statement released after Mr. Baroni’s testimony on Nov. 25, Mr. Nunziato endorsed the lane closing, saying that “the Port Authority’s attempt to be fair to all New Jersey commuters rather than a select few was admirable.” Mr. Nunziato was apparently referring to Mr. Baroni’s testimony that the traffic study was an attempt to determine whether Fort Lee’s three access lanes to the bridge amounted to special treatment...

And what has Mr. Nunziato has been doing in his spare time? Being interviewed by the Feds and lawyering up (but not particularly well):

In recent days, Mr. Nunziato’s lawyer has sought to clarify his client’s statements.

“Paul Nunziato had nothing to do with nor knowledge of the planning, implementation or execution” of the closing of the access lanes, the lawyer, Charles J. Sciarra, said in a statement...Mr. Nunziato...first learned “that there was an obvious improper motive regarding this issue” when the committee released documents suggesting the action may have been politically motivated...

Mr. Sciarra said Mr. Nunziato’s comments grew out of loyalty to his political allies and that he believed that the lane closings stemmed from the dispute between the Port Authority’s New York and New Jersey factions.

“My client was trying to be supportive of people who were supportive of his union; he never intended to mislead,” Mr. Sciarra said in a brief interview. And because of Mr. Nunziato’s own “increasingly acrimonious” relationship with Mr. Foye, he “became a vocal supporter of Mr. Wildstein in the dispute: believing this to be a botched traffic study, Mr. Nunziato made colorful and supportive statements to the press.”

He didn't INTEND to mislead? Actually, there's a proper legal term for what Mr. Nunziato did, and it isn't "not intending to mislead" -- it's:

LYING!!!

[Kathleen]

I guess the thing that bothers me the most about all these revelations is the fact the Christie's team is a bunch of schemers and liars. Everyone seems to forget that they were handchosen by him. Meanwhile he is going free as a bird.

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Originally Posted by Kathleen

I guess the thing that bothers me the most about all these revelations is the fact the Christie's team is a bunch of schemers and liars. Everyone seems to forget that they were handchosen by him. Meanwhile he is going free as a bird.

Taking a bullet for "the don" has always been a (crime) family tradition.

At this point, it's a moot issue as to what Christie knew when -- there's been SO much lying and scheming going on that either HE'S a corrupt liar, too, or he's SO incompetent he doesn't realize that he's SURROUNDED himself with corrupt liars!

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Oopsie -- it turns out that Christie even cheated on his cheating!

The city of Hoboken did get some Sandy relief money -- enough to buy only one of the seven backup generators they needed. But its mayor says she was told there would be no more funding until she approved a local development deal which turned out would have benefitted the head of the Port Authority financially:

Gov. Chris Christie's administration...railed (against) a...report alleging that Hoboken was shortchanged $700,000...the state hadn't used the same criteria for Hoboken as for other cities when it determined how much the city would receive from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Energy Allocation Initiative...(A) spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said that the report relied on incomplete data, since the final grant awards had yet to be finalized.

Huh? What does not using the "complete" data have to do with not using an equitable formula calculation? Watch your step, NJDEP -- you're just a subpoena away from having to explain why you didn't tell anyone that their air pollution monitors weren't working during the bridge closing!

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Here's the latest Christie heartwarmer:

Governor Chris Christie‘s administration did not only punish mayors who dared to cross him, it also rewarded those who were in its favor. A new report from The New York Times reveals the New Jersey Republican handed out pieces of steel from the World Trade Center to 20 handpicked mayors who he most wanted to endorse him ahead of the 2013 election.

...(M)ayors further down Christie’s list received other gifts...such as “an intimate tour of the National September 11 Memorial, or the new World Trade Center construction site, or Port Authority money for jobs programs or new firefighting equipment, even in towns far from the port...”

Bribery, pure and simple -- and with public funds, to boot.

For Christie, the good news is that this supports his contention that Fort Lee's mayor was not targeted by the lane closures -- he's reportedly number 45 on the list. For Christie, the bad news is that it supports the contention that the lane closures had more to do with devaluing the nearby land involved in a development deal that his cronies wanted a piece of!

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have made physical contact with the rotating air cooling apparatus:

Emails show Christie's ex-campaign manager thanked ex-Port official for testimony that was eventually discredited

Governor Christie’s former campaign manager congratulated a top Port Authority executive for his now-discredited testimony before lawmakers claiming that the George Washington Bridge lane closures were part of a traffic study, records released on Monday show.

“Hey, great job yesterday,” Bill Stepien wrote to the Port Authority’s Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni on Nov. 26. “I know it’s not a fun topic, and not nearly as fun as beating up on [former U.S. Sen.] Frank Lautenberg, but you did great, and I wanted to thank you.”

Lautenberg, a longtime Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey whom Baroni sparred with in April 2012 when he was called to Washington, D.C., to testify about the Port Authority’s toll hikes, died in June of last year (at the age of 89).

The message was among more than a dozen previously unreleased texts and emails made public Monday when they were submitted to a Superior Court judge in Mercer County. The judge is weighing whether Stepien and Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, must comply with a legislative subpoena from an investigative committee seeking documents related to the closures.

Bragging about attacking the elderly? No doubt Stepien included that on his resume when he landed his new job with a politicial consulting firm. But the reason why this is particularly bad news for Governor Soprano is that unlike Kelly and Baroni, Stepien reported directly to him. Why would Baroni and Wildstein "inform" Stepien and not Christie? Why didn't Stepien inform Christie? Why tell Christie something he already knew?

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Sounds like Christie's 2014 "I Give New Jersey Politics A Bad Name" tour is off to a rough start:

For the second time in a week, protesters harangued embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at a contentious town hall meeting in Middlesex County...At least 17 people were kicked out after interrupting the governor

Among their gripes: how the Christie administration has divvied up relief aid following Hurricane Sandy. They also asked why Christie hasn’t fired David Samson, chairman of the Port Authority, following some of the governor staffers’ alleged involvement in a political payback scheme to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge back in September...

Last week, at a town hall meeting in Mount Laurel, N.J., six hecklers...were thrown out after interrupting Christie on a number of issues, including so-called “Bridgegate.”

Up until last week, the town halls Christie has held in GOP-friendly municipalities have been on the friendlier side. Security has since increased, with additional police on the premises...

...(Christie) warned...that there may be protesters planted from state unions...and to just ignore them if they interrupt. “I’m a soothsayer...They do it because they have no other choice” because they “failed at the polls.” Many of the demonstrators said they were not affiliated with any union.

And it sounds like his "opening act" shouldn't expect to go over well, either....

Protests planned for Port Authority meeting in Jersey City

Protesters will descend on Jersey City...for a meeting of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to demand that the embattled chairman, David Samson, resign.

New Jersey Working Families Alliance also recently filed a formal complaint with the state Ethics Commission against Samson, who has been accused of using the powerful public appointment to enrich his law firm, Wolff & Samson.

“Christie rose to national fame by shouting down teachers and mocking ordinary citizens at town hall meetings. Now, with his administration mired in scandals and his poll numbers plummeting, he can’t take his own medicine,” the director of the alliance, Analilia Mejia said in a statement. “Working families everywhere are outraged by the pattern of abuse and cronyism that has come to light since Bridgegate.”

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About that monthly Port Authority meeting in Jersey City to be chaired by David Samson and protested by the NJ Working Families Alliance: Samson announced he had to excuse himself from the meeting and left. Guess he had to see about his new federal subpoenas concerning the commissions his law firm earned from $2.8 BILLION in construction contracts that he authorized on two other New Jersey bridges.

Meanwhile, Christie is accusing the local unions he's opposed of infiltrating his town hall meetings, and has allowed state police officers to photograph the protestors. The New Jersey attorney general has issued a "cease and desist" order:

"The State Police is responsible for the safety and security of the governor and the public at town hall meetings. In doing so, the State Police are careful to guarantee that First Amendment rights are respected and the public — whether expressing positive or negative sentiments toward the governor and his policies — have ample opportunity to make their positions known."

In case you've forgotten, the attorney general was supposed to be replaced by Christie's chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd. Due to being implicated in Bridge(t)-Gate, however, the nomination was postponed. A perfect example of how Christie not only knew, but masterminded everything right down to trying to cripple any attempts at state-level oversight.

[rocknation]

This thread was supposed to be nothing more than some posts about Bruce Springsteen making fun of Chris Christie's corruption problems -- here's a pic and video, ha ha, thank you and good night.

I wouldn't have given a damn about what has transpired since then except that Governor Soprano and his crew (I mean, Governor Christie and his administration) seems to have decided to play "Can You Top This?" But all in all, their hypocrisies, intimidation, and monumental bluffing are "just bricks in a wall" of reasons why Bruce was right in having the common sense (and moral courage) to publicly shun Christie.

So I now declare this thread to be a stealth defense of Bruce, and I am beyond grateful for the number of views you've given it. However, I am also quite prepared to stop posting when Bridge(t)-Gate ends -- and it looks like that day has arrived:

The New York Times: With his office suddenly engulfed in scandal over lane closings at the George Washington Bridge, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey two months ago summoned a pair of top defense lawyers from an elite law firm to the State House and asked them to undertake an extensive review of what had gone wrong. Now, after 70 interviews and at least $1 million in legal fees to be paid by state taxpayers...it has uncovered no evidence that the governor was involved in the plotting or directing of the lane closings.

...(T)he lawyers were able to piece together communications leading up to, during and after the lane shutdowns, despite the lack of cooperation from Ms. Kelly, Mr. Stepien and Mr. Wildstein...

Questioned about the credibility of an internal inquiry...Randy M. Mastro, the lawyer leading the internal investigation...said there was no incentive to sugarcoat the findings.

The review will be delivered to Mr. Christie, who has promised to make it public quickly without alterations. The work by Mr. Mastro’s firm is being paid for by state taxpayers, at a rate of $650 an hour...

Oh happy day! Christie is cleared, Kelly, Stepien and Wildstein are guilty, Samson's name never came up, Mastro can return to representing the Port Authority in a lawsuit over their toll hikes, and the taxpayers' money is well spent -- God's in heaven, all is right with the world! Once the state and Federal investigations confirm Christie's findings, it will officially be ALL OVER!!!