Governor Christie through his taxpayer-funded, fawning report reached a new low yesterday by not only throwing Bridget Kelly under the bus but repeatedly running her over. Some people call it "slut shaming" a term that I am uncomfortable with but it is an age-old technique that worked in the Bible, so why not now? By mentioning Bridget Kelly's relationship with Bill Stepien, Christie and his PR team/lawyers threw the tabloids a juicy story and gave Sheldon Adelson a possible motivation for the Bridgegate mystery: A Woman Scorned! Really, dudes, is this all you got? It's transparent in its sleaziness and a lot of folks are not having it.
Irate Friends See Sexism in Report on Former Christie Aide
Ms. Kelly’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. But the report’s depiction of Ms. Kelly outraged her friends, as well as Mr. Christie’s critics.
“This report was meant to whitewash Governor Christie’s reputation as a bully, but it actually confirms that he does embrace a culture of intimidation and retaliation,” said Lis Smith, a Democratic consultant who worked for the man Mr. Christie defeated in 2009, Gov. Jon S. Corzine. “He’s throwing every sexist slur at Kelly while needlessly and aggressively injecting details about her personal life. It’s a cynical attempt to distract from the real story.”
Friends called it insulting.
“Anybody that knows Bridget knows that she’s always been a by-the-book mom with four kids,” said one, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to get entangled in any investigations.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
The Slut-Shaming of Bridget Anne Kelly
State Senator Loretta Weinberg, one of two co-chairs of the joint legislative committee investigating Bridgegate, told The Daily Beast that she believes this was an attempt to assassinate the character of Kelly.
“Maybe that’s what’s making me so angry,” Weinberg said in a phone call Thursday. “They’re talking about ‘a personal relationship’ and they put in the report that Mr. Stepien was the one who ended it—how do they know that? How do they know that? And was that done to add to the credence that this was some crazy woman, some woman who is no longer in control of her emotions?”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/...
There are other ways to reach same conclusion without crafting a narrative that tries to shame Kelly + cast Zimmer as naive
— Brian Murphy (@Burrite)
March 28, 2014
WATCH: Rachel Maddow Accuses New Jersey BridgeGate Report of 'Slut-Shaming'
http://www.advocate.com/...
it's telling that the only woman featured in Christie Bridge report gets trampled/slimed in print by Gov's hand-picked attorney. #boysclub
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert)
March 28, 2014
Not only are these tactics despicable but as The Bergen Record points out it signals to other potential witnesses that they could be targeted too:
But the report doesn’t sound like a neutral, just-the-facts rendering by “Dragnet’s” Joe Friday. It repeatedly gives Christie’s account the benefit of the doubt, while casting doubt on his former aides. At times, it offers a glimpse of a hardball strategy that Christie may need down the road. The document discredits the central figures in the bridge-closing scandal as untrustworthy and unstable just at the same time as the U.S. Attorney’s Office of New Jersey is ramping up its own investigation into the bridge closings.
http://www.northjersey.com/...
Sic ‘em, Bridget Kelly, Sexist Report Problem for Christie
After the press conference on Thursday and upon digesting the whole event, complete with gauzy ABC interview with Sawyer, even though there’s still no evidence to tie Gov. Chris Christie to bridgegate, the sexism with which all of these Republicans decided to treat Bridget Kelly is another warning about Chris Christie and the boys he employs.
Bullying Bridget Kelly openly in a press conference yesterday, Mastro’s blatant sexism represented Gov. Chris Christie in a way that should alarm all women about what would happen if Christie ever became president.
http://www.taylormarsh.com/...
Halperin: Christie report 'sexist and gratuitous' http://t.co/... via @morning_joe
— NJ Edwina (@NJedwina)
March 28, 2014
"Faketraffic studies know no fury like a lover scorned." - Brian Lehrer on @BrianLehrer, now with me & @AndreaWNYC on @WNYC
— Matt Katz (@mattkatz00)
March 28, 2014
All in all, it's a nasty business and shows the depths of Christie's ruthless ambition.
UPDATE: I will keep adding to this post as more voices are expressing outrage at their misguided Blame the Woman strategy.
Christie Scandal Report Blames Dumped Female Staffer
http://www.elle.com/...
Chris Christie’s bridgegate report slammed as sexist
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
wow, even Fox News says Christie's #BridgeGate report "slutshames" Bridget Kelly; http://t.co/...
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert)
March 28, 2014
Bridget Kelly's lawyer responds to internal Christie report
Blasting the report commissioned by Gov. Chris Christie’s office as containing “venomous, gratuitous, and inappropriate sexist remarks” toward Bridget Anne Kelly, her lawyer fired back today against allegations that largely blamed Kelly for the George Washington Bridge
http://www.nj.com/...