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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by $8 blue check mistermix|  January 14, 201411:57 am| 59 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Here’s a topic — Who’s the first Christie ex-employee who’s going to spill?

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59Comments

  1. 1.

    kindness

    January 14, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    Why the first one that is brought to Court and threatened with imprisonment of course.

  2. 2.

    R. Johnston

    January 14, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    Whoever’s the first one indicted, of course.

    edit: @kindness:

    Yeah, what you said.

  3. 3.

    Aimai

    January 14, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    Wildenstein. The woman is delusional and too dependent on christie.

  4. 4.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 14, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    The first one to get a blanket immunity from all jurisdictions proffer.

  5. 5.

    Aimai

    January 14, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: yeah. You are probably right. The other person who may spill is the lawyer/christie buddy sho got the hnreported lian and held up FOIA requests, because her hands are probsbly criminally dirty so she will roll as soon as she gets a priffer.

  6. 6.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 14, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    OT, but Noisemax reports Jim Cramer has been smoking SOMETHING:

    Jim Cramer: American Jobs Come First

    Exqueeze me, Jim, but where have you been over the last 30 years as we’ve been “globalizing” and shipping American manufacturing jobs overseas for the greater enrichment of the 1%?

  7. 7.

    Alexandra

    January 14, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    The first one who fancies a move to Nebraska to become a schnook.

  8. 8.

    Violet

    January 14, 2014 at 12:04 pm

    Wildstein didn’t work for Christie but it’ll be him or Bridget Anne Kelly. She’s divorced with four kids and he destroyed her. I think they’ll get a joint deal.

  9. 9.

    The Red Pen

    January 14, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    OT: Anti-Obamacare Wingnut Champion of the Day

    Brick Williams is a husband, father who plays and teaches guitar. He also has a rare blood disorder which requires expensive, weekly trasfusions. We are supposed to believe:

    1. He made enough money to afford super-expensive insurance for his preexisting condition.
    2. He barely signed up for Obamacare in time (no word on the cost).
    3. His policy was canceled.

    We know this because of a single-post blog created by someone named Jim Schofield. The blog asks for money via PayPal and provides exactly zero evidence that it is legitimate.

    Is it linked to by a zillion wingnut blogs, so you can find it on Google.

    Expect to be hearing a lot about Brick Williams until the whole thing is revealed to be a hoax, at which point it never happened.

  10. 10.

    jharp

    January 14, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    I am going with Bridget Kelly.

    Divorced with 4 kids and heading off to prison ain’t gonna work for her.

  11. 11.

    Belafon

    January 14, 2014 at 12:10 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: He meant to say “American jobs GO first.”

  12. 12.

    Hal

    January 14, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    I’ll also go with Kelly. Kids, divorced etc. In fact, if there are going to be charges I could see prosecutors wanting her over then other involved. Young, belond and cute might make a better impression on a jury. Just ask Mirai Nagasu and Ashley Wagner.

  13. 13.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 14, 2014 at 12:13 pm

    The first one to get a good deal.

  14. 14.

    raven

    January 14, 2014 at 12:14 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Who can grant blanket immunity?

  15. 15.

    EconWatcher

    January 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    @jharp:

    Assuming everyone tells the truth when called to the federal grand jury, are we sure there’s an indictable offense here? I don’t say that rhetorically; I just don’t know (and I’m a lawyer who used to do criminal defense). It would seem to be at least a violation of the old “honest services” doctrine associated with mail and wire fraud, but I believe the courts have hacked away at that pretty heavily.

    There may be some other statute I don’t know about. I haven’t seen any good analysis of this.

  16. 16.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    @Belafon:

    The gist of the article is that Cramer wants to make sure that immigration reform is not about importing cheap foreign labor to take away minimum-wage jobs from Americans. Imagine the horror of a Wal-Mart filled with swarthy people stocking shelves and pushing brooms?

  17. 17.

    Punchy

    January 14, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    @jharp: nothing like the threat of Sykping from the pokie with your spawn and yer ex’s new-found complete legal guardianship of all of em to cause snitching of pres-candy-killing proportions

  18. 18.

    Bob In Portland

    January 14, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    The Port Authority cop who got a promotion out of this.

  19. 19.

    shelly

    January 14, 2014 at 12:18 pm

    I’m waiting to hear more about those sudden DMV closings a few years back, as an also political retribution. It never made sense to me at the time. It was cited as ‘needing to save money.’ But then they were reopened only a few months later.

  20. 20.

    OGJamie

    January 14, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    My money is on Kelly…or a yet unnamed Dem player who was cooperating/conniving with the Christie crew. (Dem co-horts will pressure and also grant immunity)

    There is another controversy brewing regarding Christie’s potential use of Sandy funds to help in his re-elect. This was apparently in motion (driven by Frank Pallone, a great rep and used to be mine before redistricting dropped wingnut Chris Smith on us) before the whole bridge thing came up. Wonder why this guy was so determined to do shady stuff (including the scheduling of the special) to win an election he clearly had in the bag for some time?

    Too much smoke in all of this. The guy’s cooked no matter what David Brooks says.

  21. 21.

    jharp

    January 14, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    @EconWatcher:

    “are we sure there’s an indictable offense here?”

    Not a lawyer but would be astounded if no laws were broken.

    And Mr. Foye, who knows a hell of lot more than 99.9% of us thinks laws were broken. And that is NY and NJ laws. And federal laws.

  22. 22.

    dmsilev

    January 14, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    Today in Science!:

    Thus, the presence of such two effects, contrarians and intransigents, favors the disordered state, indicating that in the presence of extremists it is more difficult to reach a final decision in a public debate, which is a realistic feature of the model. In addition, the results show that the consensus states are never obtained when inflexible agents are present. This is also realistic in elections or public debates in general.

  23. 23.

    Corner Stone

    January 14, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    @EconWatcher: If they tell the truth then it’s some mix of using public assets to settle political scores, or using public assets to gain control over a large development package.
    Either way, at this point, it seems the truth will not exactly set them free.

  24. 24.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 14, 2014 at 12:22 pm

    @raven: Short answer: pretty much any of the authorities involved. As a result, I am sure lawyers for the involved parties are shopping around looking the best possible deal.

  25. 25.

    Corner Stone

    January 14, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    I think it has to be both Wildstein and Kelly. Wildstein is already waving madly at larger authorities. Kelly will cycle through the stages of grief and get to anger pretty quickly.

  26. 26.

    Cacti

    January 14, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    Kelly.

    She was the first under the bus.

    Hell hath no fury, etc.

  27. 27.

    Corner Stone

    January 14, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    I see there are very prelim details on a school shooting in NM. Up to 3 minors injured, no deaths reported as yet.

  28. 28.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 14, 2014 at 12:26 pm

    @dmsilev:

    consensus states are never obtained when inflexible agents are present.

    Teahadi scum, we’re looking at you here, you know.

  29. 29.

    MattF

    January 14, 2014 at 12:27 pm

    Note that Christie made a pre-emptive strike against Kelly in his news conference– ‘stupid and dishonest’, if I recall. Could be, that wasn’t so smart.

  30. 30.

    bluesqueezebox

    January 14, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    In this episode, Wildstein is perfectly cast as the nervous fellow in horn-rimmed glasses, clutching incriminating documents, constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the inevitable. My made-for-TV detective prediction is that he will make a tell-all video and end up in the foundation of the new Christie Towers (formerly Hudson Lights) development. This stuff writes itself!

  31. 31.

    Stacy

    January 14, 2014 at 12:29 pm

    @Alexandra: love Goodfellas.
    Anyone seen the pics of at WSJ of Christie palling around with Wildstein on 9/11/2013 after he said in his presser that he hadn’t seen him in a long long time?

  32. 32.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 14, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    @bluesqueezebox:

    You mean he’s the accountant from the Costner/Connery/DeNiro Untouchables?

  33. 33.

    raven

    January 14, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: But they can’t grant it for separate jurisdictions or levels right? The feds can’t grant immunity from state?

  34. 34.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    @Stacy:

    Christie needs to be taken down for the outright stupidity of his lame lies alone.

  35. 35.

    Cacti

    January 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    @MattF:

    Note that Christie made a pre-emptive strike against Kelly in his news conference– ‘stupid and dishonest’, if I recall. Could be, that wasn’t so smart.

    It really is a man’s world.

    When you’re the only girl in the old boys club, you’ll be the first one fed into the wood chipper when the shit goes down.

  36. 36.

    Corner Stone

    January 14, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    @MattF: Which, as The Kornack has said several times now on MSNBC, has not worked out for him in the recent past.
    Firing people can be very personal even in the best scenario. Calling them stupid and/or saying they are liars usually makes it very personal, indeed.

  37. 37.

    chopper

    January 14, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    @Hal:

    it’s funny, since the other guy’s lawyer has been demanding immunity. looks like it’s gonna be a race.

  38. 38.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 14, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    @raven: Supreme Court law says that testimony given under a grant of immunity cannot be used against a person at any level. If it is use immunity, prosecutions can be done based on independent evidence. If it is transactional, the person skates.

  39. 39.

    bemused

    January 14, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    @dmsilev:

    That is another confirmation that there’s not much use in talking sense to chronic cranks as I think of them.

  40. 40.

    YellowJournalism

    January 14, 2014 at 12:38 pm

    Kelly will do it. Then the media will use the sexist narrative of “a woman scorned”.

  41. 41.

    Violet

    January 14, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    NYT story om how Kelly is distraught.Bridget Anne Kelly is devastated that Gov. Chris Christie denounced her as stupid and a liar — but she also is distraught over how much her actions have damaged him politically.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/nyregion/aide-fired-by-christie-is-called-loyal-team-player-not-rogue-operative.html

  42. 42.

    raven

    January 14, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Aha, thanks.

  43. 43.

    Cacti

    January 14, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    @YellowJournalism:

    Kelly will do it. Then the media will use the sexist narrative of “a woman scorned”.

    But she was scorned.

    Wildstein got the “I really barely knew the guy” treatment.

    Kelly got singled out as “stupid and dishonest”.

  44. 44.

    IowaOldLady

    January 14, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    @Cacti: I loved Fargo.

  45. 45.

    rikyrah

    January 14, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    Morning Plum: Obamacare derangement fades among Republicans (a bit)
    By Greg Sargent
    January 14 at 9:07 am

    The news that the demographic mix of Obamacare enrollees is not yet where the law’s proponents had hoped appears to have only reinforced the certainty in some quarters that the law’s epic collapse is underway. This, even though there are still two and a half months to go in the open enrollment period, and there are good reasons not to reach any broad conclusions just yet about the law’s long-term prospects.

    However, in one sense it’s a positive for there to be as much certainty as possible among Republicans about the law’s inevitable doom.

    Politico reports this morning that leading Republicans are leaning heavily against using the next debt limit fight to try to undermine the health law, having taken a beating in the last debt ceiling showdown. One of the reasons they are offering is that the law is imploding on its own:

    Louisiana Rep. John Fleming, one of the most conservative House Republicans and a champion of the fall defund movement, said “Obamacare is cratering itself” and acknowledged that there’s no way to change the health care law without cooperation with the White House.

    “I think our [debt ceiling] debate is going to be over more cutting” the budget, Fleming said. […]

    “I think I would be satisfied if we could deal some with the debt,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said when asked whether the GOP should link Obamacare to the debt-limit debate. “I think the health care law is going to implode on its own.”

    There’s little reason to take seriously the threat to extract spending cuts for a debt ceiling hike, given that the last battle revealed GOP hostage demands to be untenable. But this still counts as progress of a sort. Conservatives like Ted Cruz continue to insist Republicans should use “every leverage point available” to destroy the law. But Republicans looking to avoid a rerun of last fall will push back by arguing that the law is spectacularly collapsing on its own, so why should they get in the way?

    Also, the certainty that Obamacare’s ongoing implosion will shower Republicans with political riches in the midterms could also theoretically make them less likely (despite the bluster about demanding cuts for a debt limit hike) to muck things up politically with a messy crisis situation, even one in which the hostage demand has nothing to do with Obamacare. (Republicans and Dems have already reached agreement on a spending bill that fleshes out the recent sequester replacement deal, underscoring the GOP desire to avoid another government shutdown.)

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/01/14/morning-plum-obamacare-derangement-fades-among-republicans-a-bit/

  46. 46.

    scav

    January 14, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    @Violet: Is she being clever and skate the political ice so that she’s still employable using past contacts? Look! The “loyalty betrayed” card played at the same time of the “well, I’ll bus you back!” retort. Where just where have I seen these cards played together for exactly two hours? I’m not sure I trust either of these kittens playing it’s not beanbag sharp-elbow politics.

  47. 47.

    WereBear

    January 14, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    @Violet: She’s in the early stages; the ones where “I thought he was my friend!” are still roiling through her mind.

    Anger will follow. It always does. In fact, being considered a buddy and then insulted is guaranteed to give her a hard landing.

    The smart thing to do would have been stonewalling while assuring all the minions that you got their backs! and we’ll weather this together! and why don’t you get that big shredder from Fred. All while you are setting up your excuses and alibis and undercutting them so when they do get dumped and angry and want to talk… they will not be believed.

    Geez, I thought Christie was supposed to be good at this! Piker.

  48. 48.

    Cacti

    January 14, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    @rikyrah:

    But Republicans looking to avoid a rerun of last fall will push back by arguing that the law is spectacularly collapsing on its own

    Meanwhile, in the real world, at least 9 million people had qualified for coverage through the end of December, via the dependent coverage expansion, Medicaid expansion, and new policy sign ups.

    In Republican alternate reality, this counts as a catastrophic failure.

  49. 49.

    bluesqueezebox

    January 14, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: I knew I’d seen this movie before!

  50. 50.

    dmsilev

    January 14, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Ayup. Although I should point out that the authors of that paper are Brazilian. Does Brazil have a Tea-Party equivalent?

  51. 51.

    shortstop

    January 14, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    Wildstein basically announced during his non-testimony that he’s looking for immunity before talking. Since he actually ordered the closures, he has a whole lot to answer for (and lose) if he’s indicted, yes?

    I can’t shake the notion that they’re all going to skate. Then, if I’m wrong, I’ll be a very happy girl.

  52. 52.

    mak

    January 14, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    @EconWatcher: Indictable Offense: New Jersey Official Misconduct law, N.J.S.A. 2C:30-2. (h/t Dr. Maddow)

    Also, to answer the original question: the person who gets the immunity deal is the person highest on the food chain who can testify to being directly ordered to close the bridge. Right now, that’s looking like Bridget Kelly, but if she didn’t get her orders directly from Fatboi, it could be her (former) direct supervisor, O’Dowd, or possibly Stepian, another former boss and apparent mentor in the art of payback. We shall see.
    Of course, if none of the above are willing to break omerta, Wildstein has made it abundantly clear that he’s looking to deal.

  53. 53.

    mainmata

    January 14, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    @Aimai: Wow, were you writing this on your phone while riding a horse? Typo City!

  54. 54.

    West of the Rockies

    January 14, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    @jharp: I second (or third) this notion… she has a lean and hungry look about her (actually, a mean and hungry look). As soon as all the players start thinking about paying next month’s bills, they’ll start thinking about resurrecting their own careers and NOT looking like dirty dealers. They’ll roll over and squeal like a bunch of hungry piglets.

  55. 55.

    Berial

    January 14, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    It really pisses me off to see ‘conservatives’ complaining like this, “1,687,000 fewer Americans have jobs today than 6 years ago. The left and media spin this as an “economic recovery.””

    I do not believe that they have no clue that THEIR SIDE were the ones in charge when the crash started and THEIR IDEAS are the ones that are slowing the damn ‘recovery’ down! If they’d stop all the austerity bullshit now that they aren’t in charge, we’d actually BE RECOVERING! The freaking GOP is INTENTIONALLY SLOWING THE RECOVERY just to hurt their political opponents. Maybe if these ‘conservatives’ complaining would pull their heads outta their ass long enough to actually look, around they’d figure this shit out.

    Just look at the comments for crying out loud.

  56. 56.

    phoebes-in-santa fe

    January 14, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    I wouldn’t worry too much about Bridget Ann Kelly’s future. She is headed straight to Fox News as an on-air, blonde, mean Republican bimbo.

  57. 57.

    Emerald

    January 14, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    Kelly, and Christie knows it. That’s why he repeatedly called her a liar in his press conference. He was inoculating himself. She’s a liar, doncha know, so anything she says about him is a lie.

  58. 58.

    feebog

    January 14, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    Kelly, in the parlor, with a long knife. She is the most vulnerable, and most likely to be in possession of the smoking gun email(s). She is going to have to get immunity from the U.S. Attorney and both the AGs from both New York and New Jersey. Which may be a problem because the New Jersey AG job is vacant and her most recent boss, O’Dowd, had been nominated by Christie for the job.

  59. 59.

    mai naem

    January 14, 2014 at 10:15 pm

    It obviously comes down to Wildstein and Kelly. Kelly’s ex is a golf pro which probably means she’s the breadwinner in the family and she’s got younger kids so she can’t afford to be out of work. Also, Kelly’s family also have governmental jobs probably because of her influence. I figure a wingnut welfare sugar daddy will step in for her and give her some kind of think tank position. So, I figure WIldstein who is also supposed to be a long term strategical thinker.

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