It is all over – Wildstein rolls over in bid to get legal fees covered, fingers Christie

Filed in National by on January 31, 2014

From the New York Times:

The former Port Authority official who personally oversaw the lane closings on the George Washington Bridge in the scandal now swirling around Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Friday that the governor knew about the lane closings when they were happening, and that he had the evidence to prove it.

In a letter released by his lawyer, the official, David Wildstein, a high school friend of Mr. Christie’s who was appointed with the governor’s blessing at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge, described the order to close the lanes as “the Christie administration’s order” and said “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference” three weeks ago.
Document: Letter Says Governor Christie Knew About Lane Closings

“Mr. Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him and he can prove the inaccuracy of some,” the letter added.

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Jason330 is a deep cover double agent working for the GOP. Don't tell anybody.

Comments (19)

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  1. liberalgeek says:

    Part of me thinks this is simply Christie ripping off the band-aid. By next week, the Rust Dils of the world will be inventing a reality about how it doesn’t matter if Christie [lied, caused traffic problems, was vindictive, caused the death of an elderly woman, etc.] because [Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, some staffer at MSNBC] did something WAY more horrible.

  2. pandora says:

    Oh wow! Yeah, I knew Christie knew, but, obviously, his strategy of throwing everyone, but himself, under the bus was a mistake. Ya think?

    I still find it hard to believe Christie went with “Don’t blame me, I’m a moron who doesn’t control anything in my administration” defense – mainly because that defense destroyed his political aspirations, as well. Either way Christie was toast.

  3. jason330 says:

    His claims to be out of the loop were so stupid on so many levels. And I agree, why he thought these people would fry (or go broke trying to defend themselves) to protect him is perplexing.

  4. pandora says:

    I think Christie was so use to getting in people’s faces and shouting them down (and getting away with it) that he applied that strategy to this. He forgot that everyone he ever bullied was just waiting for him to slip up.

    And Wildstein is way smarter than Christie. You just know that Christie had asked him to get rid of the emails, letters, etc. well before this blew, and Wildstein said, “Of course,” while creating a Bridge folder.

  5. Delaware Dem says:

    Nah, LG. Maybe that would have been true if Christie did not hold that lengthy press conference. But in doing that press conference, he explicitly gave his word, all the while lying. Everyone in the press and punditry land said Christie could survive IF HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH in that press conference.

    Now that it has been revealed that he was lying, it is all over for him. I doubt he can even remain as Governor for much longer.

  6. Jason330 says:

    Counselor, Do you think the chances of Wildstein getting immunity just went up?

  7. Delaware Dem says:

    I think Wildstein has already gotten immunity, hence the letter…

  8. John Kowalko says:

    Guest post for the Rusty Dils,

    Chappaquiddick, Chappaquiddick, Cigars, Cigars. Monica, Monica, Marylin Monroe, Marylin Monroe–ATTICA, ATTICA

  9. bamboozer says:

    Interesting but not unexpected, el gordo is not done yet but we’re getting closer. But much like Christie’s waistline the plot thickens.

  10. LeBay says:

    @bamboozer-

    You left out “el cerdo” when referring to El Gordo. Ideally, one would refer to Christie as Don Cerdo Gordo, or at least El Cerdo Gordo.

    For those of you too lazy to look it up “cerdo gordo” means fat pig.

  11. Aoine says:

    Chomh ramhar le rón

    Would be more appropriate than the Spanish, given the ancestry involved

  12. Geezer says:

    Aoine: He’s half Italian, too.

  13. jason330 says:

    Oh My. This is interesting. People who know Wildstein are saying Christie is fucked. It seems Wildstein is a devious bastard, (a trait Christie probably liked in the guy). Anyway, that deviousness is going to bite Christie in the ass.

    TPM Reader who vividly remembered David Wildstein’s brief tenure as Mayor of Livingston, New Jersey …

    He was elected young, probably 30 at the most. And he immediately brought a reign of insanity to peaceful Livingston. He practiced a particularly mean-spirited slash and burn style of politics, a combination of Bob Haldeman and Idi Amin. He spread false rumors about people, lied, and tried to ruin reputations of decent people to advance his own career. He is easily the most hated mayor in this town’s history, hands down….
    He is a truly bad guy, exactly the wrong person you want with any power. .

    Everyone I talk to agrees that closing lanes to get back at a mayor is right out of the Wildstein playbook. But since Wildstein is capable of anything, a lot of people also believe that he would have no problem saying Christie ordered him to close the lanes, whether it’s true or not. That explains the odd, erratic behavior from the Governor….he’s caught between a rock and a hard place.

  14. Aoine says:

    SIGH,,,,,,, yes Geezer he is Italian too , on his moms side

    So since we are nitpicking then, the Italian would be…….

    ” maiale grasso”

    Capiche?

    I am not understanding the Context en español……

  15. jason330 says:

    Borowitz

    CHRISTIE ASKS FOR PUBLIC’S PATIENCE WHILE HE COMES UP WITH NEW STORY
    “We’ve been tossing around everything from my not remembering events correctly to my having a bad reaction to medication,” he said. “We even floated the idea of my being under too much pressure and having to ‘blow off steam.’ As I said, we don’t have a winner yet. But I want to reassure the people of New Jersey that I am working very hard on this.”

  16. jason330 says:

    The NYT via Salon:

    The governor was booed at a Super Bowl event in Times Square on Saturday, where he sat on stage with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona, and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York.

    While the other three beamed and waved, Mr. Christie looked down. Mr. de Blasio sat next to Mr. Cuomo and punched him playfully throughout the ceremony, and the two giggled.

    Ms. Brewer seemed to try to cheer up Mr. Christie. At ceremony’s end, reporters pushed toward the stage and Mr. Christie stepped to the back. When coaxed to the front by Ms. Brewer to pose for a photo,reporters asked Mr. Christie a barrage of questions.

    “Governor,” one shouted, “any truth to the allegations?”

    Mr. Christie said nothing and walked off the stage behind a giant speaker blaring Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”

    Is it wrong that I’m smiling?

  17. duty says:

    Christie would have been better served to implement this strategy.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDfmUK833hc

  18. Jason330 says:

    That was precisely his strategy.