Even Worse Than We Thought-Mastro Kept No Records....

[Laxman]

Nobody under oath, no transcripts, no tapes-just the sterling recollection of Mr. Mastro's happy little band of $650.00/hr lawyers. What a great report! No key witnesses? No problem. Gaps in logic? That's what inferences are for! Congratulations NJ taxpayers-you thought you got fleeced when you first read this report? It was even worse than you thought it was!

Much Ado About Nothing: No Tapes, Transcripts of Mastro Interviews

Legislative investigators may be headed toward a legal showdown with Gov. Chris Christie and his team of lawyers to obtain the documentary evidence that was used to clear the governor and his top aides of wrongdoing in Bridgegate and other Port Authority-related scandals.

But the “evidence” may be of little value.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), cochairman of the Joint Select Committee on Investigation, said yesterday it is his understanding that Randy Mastro and his Gibson Dunn & Crutcher firm not only failed to conduct the 70 interviews under oath, but also failed to videotape, audiotape, or have a stenographer make transcripts of any of the interviews.

“If this was supposed to be a transparent 360-degree examination of what happened, the lack of any hard evidence of what people said and how they responded to questions means that this report is based upon nothing more than the (Mastro team’s) mental impressions of what people said,” Wisniewski noted. “That’s the classic definition of hearsay,” he said, dismissing the conclusions of the $1 million taxpayer-funded study.

Kevin Roberts, the governor’s press spokesman, did not respond to an emailed question asking whether Wisniewski was correct that no tapes or transcripts existed from the 70 interviews, but that appears to be the case based on Mastro’s statement, which referred only to interview memos.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/04/09/much-ado-about-nothing-no-tapes-transcripts-of-mastro-interviews/

[JDPriestly]

1. The whitewash wasn't even meant to be taken seriously.

It's just trash. If they had been serious, they would have hired court reporters at the very least.

It's just a "Nanny, nanny. Catch me if you can" challenge.

The good news is that someone who wants to conduct a serious investigation can put the entire report on the computers, go right down the witness list, call each with at least a court reporter present and ask about the statements or claims in each of the stories in the report. Where the witness's tale deviates from the report, the investigator can tell the news media or take it to the legislature.

That report will end up backfiring on Christie.

[DURHAM D]

2. Seems to me the State should get a $1Million refund from Gibson & Dunn. nt

[Laxman]

5. There Might Not Be A Refund, But....

they do have a special offer!

AND THAT'S NOT ALL! If you call now-we'll throw in a second report absolutely free that will exonerate YOU- just fill your own name in on the cover. Just pay separate shipping & handling. But act fast-supplies are limited. All for the same low price of $1,000,000! Call 1-800-WHITEWASH

[JDPriestly]

10. I hope Gibson, Dunn was paid well for this because as low on the ethical scale as they may

have already been, this takes them down a notch or so further.

Bush v. Gore. Perry v. Schwarzenegger. Many Americans may not be able to name more than a handful of top law firms, but these front-page cases resonate with all ends of the political spectrum. In both cases the victorious attorney was Gibson Supreme Court superstar Ted Olson. Olson is the most recognizable face of the most recognizable department within the firm, the hands down best appellate litigation team in the country, one that has argued more than one hundred cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Gibson’s elite litigation department has been consistently recognized as one of the best in the country from top to bottom. American Lawyer recognized Gibson as the “Top Litigation Department of the Year” in 2010. It has represented a litany of notable clients in newsworthy cases: Viacom in its billion dollar suit against Google and YouTube, NBC Universal against Conan O’Brien, and Intel against European Union antitrust allegations, and Wal-Mart against a landmark $11 billion employment discrimination class action.

. . . .

To outsiders, Gibson Dunn has a reputation as a conservative law firm with ties to the Republican elites. This is almost entirely based on the reputations of star litigators Ted Olson, former Solicitor General for George W. Bush, and Eugene Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia. However this view is very simplistic, and overlooks the fact that the firm is an assembly of over a thousand attorneys spread over more than a dozen separate offices. There is no one unifying culture that can be clearly defined.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/gibson-dunn-crutcher-llp.html

The Republicans called in their calvary on this one. They are scared. But no doubt Gibson, Dunn will bail them out one way or another.

[GeorgeGist]

3. Snidebar:

Is Randy Mastro related to Carlos Danger?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Well I expect a refund no

[Madam Mossfern]

6. Wow,

just wow.

This has to be an Onion article...right?

[eggplant]

7. Graft while the grafting's good.

What's a million dollars, anyway?

[A Simple Game]

8. everybody knows that the default is the economy investigation.

If you want the deluxe you have to let them know in advance.

It's a common mistake, happens all the time.

[Madam Mossfern]

9. Why don't I see anything like this

on NJ.com? One would think that they would be headlining this story. Honestly, something doesn't jive; not unless they're writing the story as we speak? Maybe I missed it?

[Laxman]

11. The Star-Ledger Just Laid Off....

half their staff. A lot of the good reporters are still there but they're stretched pretty thin. Mark Magyar-who wrote this article for Spotlight NJ- is an excellent reporter.

They were probably busy with this:

NJ judge rules against bridge scandal panel in subpoena fight

A state judge today ruled that two figures central to the Legislature's investigation of the George Washington Bridge lane closings do not have to comply with subpoenas to turn over records related to the scandal.

State Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson issued the 98-page ruling just past 4 p.m. denying the committee's request to force Bridget Anne Kelly, Gov. Chris Christie's former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Stepien, his two-time campaign manager, to comply.

The pair objected to the requests on the basis that the act of searching for, identifying and turnover over records would violate their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. They called the committee's requests a fishing expedition.

Jacobson agreed.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/nj_judge_rules_against_bridge_scandal_panel_in_subpoena_fight.html#incart_m-rpt-1

[Laxman]

12. So It Was True....

there were not any transcripts, tapes or other recordings made of the interviews. But,there are 75 "internal memoranda" made of the interviews. You too can now read them if you dare...just go here: http://gdcreport.com/pdf/Interview_Memoranda.pdf Happy reading!

Lawmakers receive documents from Christie’s internal GWB inquiry

Documents describing the interviews conducted for the Christie administration's internal investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane closings have been made public.

The documents were sent today to the lawyer for the legislative panel looking into the controversy, who is reviewing them now, according to committee co-chair John Wisniewski, a Democratic Assemblyman from Middlesex County. They were posted online by the law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, a short time later.

Wisniewski said the committee’s lawyer was reviewing the documents.

The law firm apparently did not record or transcribe any of those interviews. Instead, the documents are memos written by lawyers describing each interview. Each page is labeled a “privileged and confidential attorney opinion work product.” Each memo includes a statement that it is “protected from disclosure by the attorney work product doctrine.”

http://www.northjersey.com/news/lawmakers-receive-documents-from-christie-s-internal-gwb-inquiry-1.980960

[Laxman]

13. And If You Thought It Was Bad Before....

reading through the interview memoranda, the Christie interview was conducted by his close friend Debra Wong Yang! That way you know its legit

Chris Christie's friend interviewed him as part of bridge scandal review

A close friend to Gov. Chris Christie, Debra Wong Yang, was one of three attorneys who interviewed the governor as part of the taxpayer-funded internal review that he ordered in the wake of the September lane closings at the George Washington Bridge.

Wong Yang, a partner with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, was, like Christie, appointed a U.S. attorney by former President George W. Bush. The two have gone on vacation with each other's families, and Christie steered Yang a lucrative contract while U.S. attorney.

She conducted the interview of Christie with Randy Mastro, the firm's lead attorney on the matter, as well as Alexander Southwell. A summary of the interview, as well as interview summaries with 74 other people conducted as part of the review, were released today.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/friend_of_chris_christie_conducted_interview_in_bridge_scandal_review.html#incart_river_default

[Laxman]

14. If You're Interested...

the Governor's interview memorandum begins on page 163. Here is the excerpt from the end of his interview-the part labeled January 2014. The tears in his eyes part is especially endearing:

After working out on January 8, 2014, the Governor received a call from Comella regarding a story in The Record that she described as “bad.” He read the article on his iPad, which made him sick to his stomach. Mrs. Christie called, and the Governor confirmed that he had seen the article and would talk to her later. He believed that he then called O’Dowd,and told him to gather those he would need at Drumthwacket. On the drive down to Drumthwacket, the Governor thought he spoke to DuHaime. Meeting at Drumthwacket were O’Dowd, Porrino, Egea, Brown, Comella, Matey, the Governor’s brother, and at some point, DuHaime, Palatucci, and Samson. Others may have been there as well. The Governor recalled McKenna being away. When the meeting started, the Governor recalled being nervous because he did not know who else might be involved. He got emotional, and with tears in his eyes, asked if anyone else had anything else to do with the lane realignment, because he could not get sand-bagged again. One-by-one, each person denied involvement. Together, they then turned to where to go next. When Samson arrived, which was later in the day, the Governor took him aside and asked if he knew anything about the lane realignment allegations and Samson responded that he did not.

The Governor and his advisors discussed whether his team should talk to Kelly or Stepien. They concluded that they should not talk to Kelly because she had a potential legal problem. There was no conversation about talking to Baroni or Wildstein. They decided that they needed to talk to Drewniak, given the documents that had been publicly disclosed, and called him over to Drumthwacket in order to question him about any knowledge or involvement in the lane realignment he may have had. If Drewniak had any, he would have been fired. He was questioned for a while by Porrino and Matey, and explained that he had no involvement in this lane realignment decision. The Governor concluded that Kelly had to be fired. He recalled not being sure about the nature of Stepien’s involvement in the lane realignment, but felt it was better to sever ties with both at the same time. The Governor decided to sever ties with Stepien in part because of the language Stepien used in the released emails, but also because he felt he could no longer trust Stepien. The Governor instructed DuHaime to tell Stepien and to find out if he had a relationship with Kelly. DuHaime argued not to get rid of Stepien, but the Governor said that Stepien needed to go. The Governor recalled that DuHaime left to talk to Stepien and, after a while, returned and reported to the group. DuHaime reported that Stepien was upset, and claimed he did nothing wrong and did not deserve to be thrown under the bus. DuHaime also reported that Stepien acknowledged a relationship with Kelly, but said that it was over. DuHaime further reported that Stepien was angry that he could not tell the Governor his side of the story in person. DuHaime explained that Stepien felt wronged because nothing in the released emails or other evidence suggested his involvement in the lane realignment decision.

The next day, the Governor went to Trenton in the morning. He then held the press conference, while exhausted, answering all questions. Only after coming back did he realize that the press conference lasted nearly two hours.

[Beach Rat]

15. He couldn't even fire Kelly & Stepien himself!

He sent DuHaime to do his dirty work for him. Plus his brother, DuHaime & Palatucci were in on the critical meting at Drumthwacket? Proof that the politics were the most important piece of this. He was sick to his stomach because he saw his presidential hopes all going down the drain in an instant. (I wonder what the call with Mary Pat was really like)

[hatrack]

17. Beyond nauseating - what a steaming mound of . . . . "evidence"

[Laxman]

16. There's Just So Much To Go Through....

in these interview summaries. Here's one that we already knew-towns with mayors who didn't play ball with Christie suffered because of it. Collective punishment for the "political failings" of a community's mayor? What a sick sorry excuse for a governor.

Christie's office gave less attention to mayors who didn't support governor, official said

Mayors considered unfriendly to Gov. Chris Christie were treated less favorably than his allies by staffers inside his office, many of whom moonlighted on his re-election campaign, according to a trove of internal interviews released yesterday.

A top liaison between Christie and local officials, Christina Renna, told attorneys reviewing the governor’s office in the wake of the George Washington Bridge scandal that her staff would receive "mandatory directives" to brush off calls.

She said she believed the former head of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA), Bill Stepien, Christie’s two-time campaign manager, masterminded the effort to keep track of mayors.

"Sometimes IGA staff received a directive along the lines of ‘no need to call to check in’ with a local elected official, which was enough to send a message to the local elected official," according to a summary her interview with the attorneys.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/christies_office_gave_less_attention_to_mayors_who_didnt_support_governor_official_said.html#incart_m-rpt-1