We are getting one step closer to the truth in Bridgegate, a tale as complicated and labyrinthine as Game of Thrones. The following from NJ Spotlight is a must-read in this unfolding story:
Gov. Chris Christie won the loyalty of the Port Authority police union whose actions are under investigation in Bridgegate by guaranteeing that its rank-and-file would be in charge of security at the new Freedom Tower and by pushing a Port Authority police expansion that added hundreds of union jobs and dues-paying members.
Now the police union and its leaders are under investigation by both the Legislature and the Port Authority for enforcing the George Washington Bridge lane closures, telling disgruntled motorists to call Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich to make sure he knew the lane closures were aimed at him, and backing up the Christie administration’s cover story that the closures were part of a legitimate traffic study.
The police union’s enthusiastic role in the Bridgegate lane closures -- which were ordered by Christie Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly in apparent political retaliation against Sokolich for not endorsing Christie for reelection -- came nearly eight months after the Republican governor won the endorsement of the Port Authority Patromen's Benevolent Association President Paul Nunziato and his then-1,300 member union.
The Port Authority union’s loyalty to Christie is easy to understand, said Martin Robins, director emeritus of Rutgers University’s Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center: “The union had a very focused interest in this: jobs and dues. And that’s what Christie gave them.”
http://www.njspotlight.com/...
Bill Maher recently criticized MSNBC for its "obsessive" coverage of Christie. Steve Kornacki, Brian Murphy and Rachel Maddow are all admirably practicing the lost art of journalism. And hats off to all the fabulous reporters here in New Jersey who have been covering this story, long before the national media took notice.
Update: Since it has generated so much discussion, I am linking to the TPM article on Bill Maher's remarks.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...