Another ex-official may be subpoenaed by N.J. state legislature

[Rapunzel]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/10/another-ex-official-may-be-subpoenaed-by-n-j-state-legislature/

Another ex-official may be subpoenaed by N.J. state legislature

Posted by
CNN Political Unit   

(CNN) – One day after an ex-official invoked his Fifth Amendment rights at a state legislative hearing on the New Jersey bridge scandal, CNN's Chief National Correspondent John King reports the legislative committee's chairman and staff are taking steps to subpoena Bridget Anne Kelly, a second key witness and Gov. Chris Christie's ex-deputy chief of staff.

Christie announced Thursday that he fired Kelly after recently emerged emails indicated she played a major role in the decision to shut down multiple access lanes to the George Washington Bridge as a political vendetta. The lane closures caused a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee, New Jersey, for nearly a week in September.

The emails showed that Kelly and David Wildstein, a former Port Authority official and political appointee of Christie's, worked together to get the lanes closed. Wildstein resigned last month and appeared before the panel on Thursday under a subpoena but didn't answer any questions.

Who is David Wildstein?

For her part, Kelly would be considered a key witness to the committee if subpoenaed and to a criminal investigation that is in its early stages.

Christie said he didn't know until Wednesday that the lane closures were a politically-motivated act of retaliation against the Fort Lee mayor, who didn't endorse Christie last year as the Governor ran for re-election.

[Rapunzel]

Rebecca Berg ‏@rebeccagberg
Not fired by Christie yet: His press sec Michael Drewniak. But these new emails show Drewniak was very much enmeshed in the bridge scheme...  From the new emails released today, it becomes clear Bill Stepien, Bridget Kelly, Michael Drewniak were all working closely with Wildstein.  Drewniak writes to Wildstein about trying to circumvent some of Christie's more senior communications staff, such as Maria Comella.  Example of Wildstein and Drewniak trying to work around Maria Comella and Charles McKenna, Christie's counsel


 

[Rapunzel]

@BuzzFeedAndrew 26m

So Wildstein knew Sept. 9th that bridge lane closures caused slow EMS responses….and still kept it closed till 13th.

[Oceander]

Rebecca Berg ‏@rebeccagberg
Not fired by Christie yet: His press sec Michael Drewniak. But these new emails show Drewniak was very much enmeshed in the bridge scheme...  From the new emails released today, it becomes clear Bill Stepien, Bridget Kelly, Michael Drewniak were all working closely with Wildstein.  Drewniak writes to Wildstein about trying to circumvent some of Christie's more senior communications staff, such as Maria Comella.  Example of Wildstein and Drewniak trying to work around Maria Comella and Charles McKenna, Christie's counsel


 

I have to say that this is circumstantial evidence that Christie wasn't involved in the original affair; why would they be trying to circumvent other top Christie aides if they were all playing on the same side?

[Rapunzel]

I have to say that this is circumstantial evidence that Christie wasn't involved in the original affair; why would they be trying to circumvent other top Christie aides if they were all playing on the same side?

Don't know.  But why has he not fired everyone involved?  This is an example of how big government is out of control regardless the political party...... machine politics is machine politics be it Chicago, Detroit or New Jersey. 

[Oceander]

Don't know.  But why has he not fired everyone involved?  This is an example of how big government is out of control regardless the political party...... machine politics is machine politics be it Chicago, Detroit or New Jersey. 

Put it another way:  if he really was involved, wouldn't he have fired everyone immediately to make it look like he was being tough on them?  Their silence would be easily bought by working out comfy severance packages after the public's focus moves on to something else (in a few days or so).  So not firing everyone immediately is also circumstantial evidence that he wasn't in on it.

[Rapunzel]

Put it another way:  if he really was involved, wouldn't he have fired everyone immediately to make it look like he was being tough on them?  Their silence would be easily bought by working out comfy severance packages after the public's focus moves on to something else (in a few days or so).  So not firing everyone immediately is also circumstantial evidence that he wasn't in on it.

No.  I would have fired everyone involved in the email exchanges.  Period.  Then people would have known he was serious about cleaning house.

and... read the December 2013 expose about Christie.  He has a reputation of punishing anyone who says anything about him.  In other words - just like Obama he is VERY thin-skinned.  The NYT article was written before the GW Bridge story became headline news nationally and when you read it there becomes a nagging suspicion since the man has a habit of punishing his enemies at the very least he set a standard that it was okay to do things like this.