Christie Crime Digest Volume III Sneak Preview.....

[Laxman]

Just a little idea of what's coming in the next exciting chapter of the Christie Crime Digest. Volume II left off with speculation that U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman's defining career moment was imminent. As we move to Volume III, the plot thickens as charges are about to be announced. David Wildstein is being whisked to the Federal Courthouse in Newark as this is being typed. Should be the start of some very interesting reading. Coming soon-Volume III-The Prosecution! (I laughed, I cried. If you follow just one corrupt politician this year, make it Chris Christie) Is it wrong that I'm smiling?

Bridgegate: Charges in George Washington Bridge scandal to be announced today

Charges will be filed this morning in the Bridgegate scandal, following a long-running federal probe into the 2013 lane closures at the George Washington Bridge that were allegedly orchestrated as an act of political retribution.

The U.S. Attorney's office did not indicate who may be facing possible indictment, or specify the nature of the charges, saying only there were developments related to the 16-month investigation being announced today.

A press conference has been scheduled for 1 p.m. today in Newark, following what was called "a proceeding of interest in a criminal matter" related to the investigation scheduled for 11 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton.

At least one of those charged in the high-profile case reportedly will plead guilty this morning. According to Bloomberg, David Wildstein, a key figure in the investigation, will enter a guilty plea. At his Montville home, a white SUV could be seen leaving at 5 a.m. and moving down the street at high speed.

A federal grand jury had been hearing evidence in the case for months.

The investigation reached deep into the administration of Gov. Chris Christie, who has denied any knowledge of the shutdowns that paralyzed Fort Lee for days in September 2013. The governor himself, a Republican widely expected to enter the race for president and once considered a front-runner, has never been accused of any wrongdoing. But what impact any indictments might have on his potential candidacy is yet to be known.

An internal investigation conducted at the direction of the governor himself had blamed the bridge scheme on a rogue "black ops" operation devised by those involved in Christie's gubernatorial re-election campaign, reportedly looking to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, after the Democrat changed his mind on his expected endorsement of the governor.

read the rest here: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/bridgegate_charges_in_george_washington_bridge_sca.html#incart_breaking

[Beach Rat]

1. I'm really looking forward to the ending!

Actually it's like watching Season 3 of Breaking Bad! Only nobody sympathizes with the anti-hero in this story, you just want to see him blubbering in handcuffs.

[malaise]

2. Get thee to the greatest page

I'm following this thread

[Laxman]

4. It Just Doesn't Seem Right....

to see this as a great day. BUT....It's a great day!

Wildstein's been singing for a year now. It will be interesting to see what the U.S. Attorney is going to do with this. I had heard that the "Chairman's Flight" was one of the things Wildstein had given the investigators. This is a guy who knows where the bodies are buried. I hope he gave them detailed directions. I'd say Samson is next.

[malaise]

5. What a lovely May 1

[rocktivity]

7. Sounds like Fishman held fast to not giving immunity

Which strongly suggests that he has enough on Christie to allow Wildstein and Kelley to take the fall for Bridge(t)-Gate without "forcing" anyone to "snitch"...


rocktivity

[AzDar]

3. K & R

[Laxman]

6. Let The Speculation Begin....

all of it ends badly for my favorite Governor!

Bridgegate, and how Christie will spin it | Moran


On the other end of the spectrum is the possibility that Christie himself is implicated, that Fishman has found evidence that the governor knew of the lane closures as they occurred, or engaged in a cover-up by pushing the phony story about a traffic study.

If that happens, Christie is toast.

His presidential dreams would be history, and he might well be forced to resign as governor, or even face criminal charges. Christie has been clear that he believes any public officials who is indicted should step down immediately.

My guess is that we'll see something in between those extremes, that we'll learn new stomach-turning details about what a mad crew this was, but that Christie himself won't be deemed a criminal or a liar. That would probably be enough to snuff out his withering hopes of winning the presidency, but he'd survive as governor.

Whatever happens, Christie will be wounded. Because after all, his best-case defense is that he was clueless, that he didn't know what his own people were doing. And these were not middle-level staffers. They were in his senior circle, all of them loyalists.

Does America really want a president whose hires the kind of people who would pull this stunt? Remember that this gridlock went on for four days, and put the public safety at risk as ambulances struggled to get through it. How long would these clowns have kept the lanes closed if they hadn't been forced to reopen them by the Port Authority's executive director, Patrick Foye? A week? Two weeks? Just how crazy were these guys?

Even if Christie quits the presidential race, he's damaged at home. Polls show New Jersey has turned on him. The most stunning showed that just 25 percent think he'd make a good president. And after today, that number is certain to drop even lower.

read the rest here: http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/05/brigegate_and_how_christie_will_spin_it_moran.html#incart_story_package