From the HuffPo story:
Guadagno said she looked forward to inquiries into the controversy so the truth would emerge.
"I deny any suggestions made by Mayor Zimmer that there was ever any condition placed on the release of Sandy funds by me," she said, adding that she was "surprised that Mayor Zimmer has chosen to mischaracterize the conversation I had with her about development and job creation in Hoboken."
So Guadagno ADMITS to discussing 'development and job creation in Hoboken' and doesn't deny that the conversation happened in the parking lot as claimed by Mayor Zimmer.
Guadagno says Mayor Zimmer 'mischaracterized' that conversation...... that's pretty weak tea.
Mayor Zimmer has detailed notes from her journal..... the Lt Gov has.... ummmm.... wait for it..... 'I'm a Sandy victim'.
There are lots of ways to get across a message without blurting it out, and a private discussion between 2 politicians in a parking lot could be parsed in different ways, leaving the Lt Gov with the excuse of being mischaracterized.
But when that Lt Gov is part of an administration led by a heavy-handed thug, those protestations seem a bit over-the-top.
I think I'll go with the mayor on this one.
Cheers.
UPDATE: A couple of excellent points were made in the comments that I want to bring up to the original story....
h/t to Joes Steven for noticing in the statement released by Lt. Gov. Guadagno:
"I deny any suggestions made by Mayor Zimmer that there was ever any condition placed on the release of Sandy funds by me," she said
And from PhillyJeff, the great gangster comparison:
Nice store you have there, it would be a shame
if anything happened to it . . . like if it burned down one night. You really should think about paying that protection money to my organization.
A threat? You clearly misinterpreted my statement! I was simply expressing concern for your wonderful business while also reminding you of an important investment opportunity.
Stop listening to MSNBC liberal conspiracies. Also Benghazi.
There are many more comments worthy of mention, and I commend everyone for an interesting and informative discussion in the comments.
Note: I really try to keep up with and participate in the comments/discussion of my diaries, but have found that when they get beyond about 100, it becomes impossible, and they take on a life of their own.
Cheers.