(Note to Readers: Who would have thought we would have had a chance to practice our DFSI, (Disturbing Flaming Skull Image), label only 12 hours after I announced it along with the other DI, DRP, etc labels? Kossacks, this is the honest to god, exact same guy I started the flaming skull image for I swear, upon all that I hold holy! Michael Drewniak said this quote after the meeting he testifies about below in this hearing. I couldn't make this up. This is real life. Do not adjust your computer. Que Twilight Zone Music Too, tee, too, tuu, Too, tee, too, tuu, - We have entered an impropability zone - it doesn't get any better than this. Let's watch this rare occasion as reality proceeds.)
Yes, this is the famous Micheal, "I-want-to-rip-his-eyes-out,-pour-gasoline-in-the-sockets-and-light-him-up" Drewniak.
Darryl Isherwood of the Star-Ledger reports Christie spokesman says he told governor's counsel in November about possible staff role in bridge scandal Micheal Drewniak testified that at a dinner he at with David Wildstein on Dec 4, David Wildstein claimed to Drewniak that he told Governor Christie about the lane closing on Sept 11, and also that Bill Stepien and Bridget Kelly, and that Micheal Drewniak told Governor Christie about this conversation with David Wildstein on December 5. Seeming to indicate that at the very least that the Governor lied when he said he did not know his staff was involved at the Dec 13 press conference.
TRENTON — Michael Drewniak, the chief spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie's administration, testified today that he informed members of the governor’s senior staff in early November that he had been told that administration staffers were aware of or involved in lane diversions at the George Washington Bridge that snarled traffic in Fort Lee during the second week in September.
Drewniak also said the fact that Democrats known to be Christie’s critics had pressed the bridged controversy helped color how the governor’s office intially reacted to the issue.
Appearing before the joint legislative committee investigating the matter, Drewniak said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official David Wildstein told him two staffers — former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly and former Christie for Governor Campaign Manager Bill Stepien — were aware of the lane diversions as they happened, information he later passed along to Chief Counsel Charlie McKenna. .... Drewniak said McKenna told him he was “looking into it.”
Committee members focused on the timeline because Drewniak is testifying that this conversation occurred prior to the Dec. 2 press conference in which Christie made jokes about the incident including moving the cones. Also, Drewniak is testifying that he told Christie of Wildstein's statement on December 5 a week before the Dec. 13 when the Governor claims he had no knowledge of any of his staff involvement - an apparent lie.
Drewniak later testified that Wildstein said on Dec. 4 that he told Christie about the traffic issue during a Sept. 11 anniversary event. The press secretary said he informed the governor of the statement on Dec. 5, more than a week before the Dec. 13 press conference where the governor said he had questioned his senior staff about any involvement and was assured none of his circle had any part in the traffic debacle.
Governor Christie claims he does not recall the September 11 conversation David Wildstein. Now we have additional contradictions in Governor Chrisitie's claimed knowledge of events and what others say. Micheal Drewniak has now testified that he informed Governor Christie on December 5, and Christie claimed in a December 13 press conference that he had questioned his staff about any involvement and was assured none had played any part in the lane closures.
So which person is lying?
Also, Christie repeated again in his January 8 press conference that he knew knowing about his staffs involvement until two days before.
Tun ta Tun Tun (Heavy Ominous TV Music from that Law and Order Program When the Criminals are in trouble. (Hey how come we can't put sound effects in our posts? This is an outrage!) ((Could I ask one of our ace Christie Team sound-effects specialists to find a "tape of this - so when readers click on it - it goes "dund dund' or he Dragnet thing? If you put it into comments. I'll bring it up? I gotta second source this whopper.)
Given that this seems like such heavy duty testimony I want to go see if I kind find some other pundits saying things like "Christie must resign - or smoking gun, or Drewniak's testimony directly contradicts Chrisitie's tiresome and pathetic lies. (oh, but I mean that it the nicest most sympathetic way Kossacks! Let me be clear! I intend to send him sympathetic holiday cards every year he is in prision - because that's the kind of "higher - level liberal chock of empathy that I am - and the reason many observers believe liberals will triumph over those mean and nasty Republicans in the end - because they just don't have this kind of compassion!)
12:52 PM PT: “Now, I could claw his eyes out, pour gasoline in the sockets and light him up” says Drewniak
I've replicated portions of the post from March 31 so you see the "smoking hot background details" I've been bringing readers on these Bridgegate scoundrels for months and months. Please follow me and Chrisite watch if you'd like to get this kind of "compassionate" reporting delivered to your stream's inbox directly.
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Evidence from Randy Mastro's own report is contradicting his own assertions that a culture of retribution did not exist in his office. John Reitmeyer of NorthJersey.com has obtained and reviewed thousands of pages of footnotes and documents "lend at least some credence to allegations against Christie that the report plainly said can’t be true."
He reports these in Analysis: Some evidence seems to contradict Mastro report's findings on Christie. This title is far to modest given what I am seeing here. Holy smokes (so to speak.)
This is a bombshell set of document folks and Chris Hayes, is now reporting a another major revelation from Mayor Doherty in the Mayor Zimmer case, I reported partially information on this morning. This documents undercut most of Mastro's summary assertitons. The evidence seems to support exactly the opposite conclusions.
And they include some of the harshest language yet disclosed in the bridge scandal: ... “The only trouble is David is/was a true friend of mine,” Drewniak wrote in January. “Now, I could claw his eyes out, pour gasoline in the sockets and light him up.”
There’s also a curt dismissal of the Hoboken mayor who later alleged politics played a role in getting aid for Superstorm Sandy. After supposedly “kissing her ass” for an endorsement, Christie’s campaign team worked to make sure she didn’t show up at one of his political events — a meet-and-greet across the street from Hoboken City Hall.
These documents paint exactly the opposite picture of the culture and environment withing Chris Christie's inner circles that Robert Mastro is trying to proclaim.
For example, the report said Christie did not create a “culture of political retaliation,” something many lawmakers suggested after allegations were leveled by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer and by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop — who both said the Christie administration essentially punished them for not endorsing his 2013 bid for reelection.
But, here's an email exchange between Christie's campaign manager and top strategist about Mayor Fulop:
“We’re approaching a point in time where we have the ‘so what’s it going to be?’ conversation with Zimmer and Fulop,” the campaign manager, Bill Stepien, wrote to Mike DuHaime.
“Are you with us, or against us?” Stepien wrote to DuHaime, in reference to Zimmer and the endorsements.
For Christiegate addicts this article is going to be like going from snorting to mainlining and it is only a summary of a longer analysis. If you have a job, family or other obligations, perhaps, you should just read this summary and live the hard-core stuff to others who can afford to stay up all night glued to their computer. This is primo stuff folks.
I can't even tell you more because I beyond my three paragraphs already. I will be shocked, truly shocked if any readers start quoting other sections and putting them in the comments!
Oh, just one more juicy teaser. You know how Christie has been pretending how he is just one of those "head in the clouds" kind of managers who has no idea of what his staff is doing? Not! Included in this release of documents is one showing Christie personally edited one on how his team should respond.
Oh, just one last example, this article shows extensive communications about how the team planning to cold should an uncooperative mayor at social functions. These documents say "Guilty, guilty, guilty" all over them.
I'm going to have to just stop now even though I'm not even half way through describing this article. You have to read it yourself. If you are unemployed, or on vacation.
Otherwise, "just say no!"
3:25 PM PT: Edgar Sandoval, Corky Siemaszko, of the New York Daily News, reports, Chris Christie’s spokesman: we were blindsided by bridge closings to punish Fort Lee mayor
Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, says that the emails purportedly plotting the punitive George Washington Bridge lane closings last fall 'represented a deep betrayal on both (a) personal and professional level.'
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s mouthpiece insisted Tuesday neither he — nor his boss — played any role in the Bridgegate scandal or the “actual or perceived ‘cover up.’”
Calling it a “strange, unnecessary and idiotic episode,” Michael Drewniak said they were blindsided when emails revealed Christie aides deliberately clogged traffic on the George Washington Bridge as political payback against Fort Lee’s mayor.
“The emails and conduct that became public between David Wildstein and Bridget Kelly also represented a deep betrayal on both (a) personal and professional level.”
The general consensus of the reporting seems to be that Drewniak is denying that either he or Christie had anything to do with the planning or the cover-up, and he does testify that he told Christie of "two staffers involvement" - Bridge Kelly and Bill Stepien" on Dec 5 two weeks before Christies press conference of Dec 13 when he denied knowing of staff involvement.
And, is this also not inconsistent with Christie statement of Jan 8 saying he only just learned of his staff involvement, and all those dramatic stories where he calls the staff in an asks if anyone is involved?
Appearing before the joint legislative committee investigating the matter, Drewniak said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official David Wildstein told him two staffers — former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly and former Christie for Governor Campaign Manager Bill Stepien — were aware of the lane diversions as they happened, information he later passed along to Chief Counsel Charlie McKenna. .... Drewniak said McKenna told him he was “looking into it.”
I do not understand why the headline are not "Drewniak testimony indicates Governor Christie has lied Serveral times!"?
3:48 PM PT: Al Sharpton is really nail Governor Christie highlighting an angle I had missed so far. Michael Drewniak' testimony proves Governor Christie was lying when he said he first learned about the possible involvement of his staff from the media. Michael Drewniak as testified under oath that David Wildstein told him at a dinner on Dec 4 that Wildstein told the Governor about it on September 11 at their meeting on Sept 11 and that Bridget Kelly and Bill Stepien were involved and further Michael Drewniak testified under oath today that he told both of these facts directly to the Governor on December 5!
Therefore, if we believe Michael Drewniak, who was under oath, and David Wildstein who was giving contemporaneous testimony with no incentive to lie,then would it not appear that Governor Christie lied on at the press conference on December 13 when he claim to have questioned his staff if any of them were involved and they all said no.
Additionally, does it not appear that he also additionally like on January 8 , and on every occasion since then when he repeated those denials and claimed to have first learned of Bridget Kelly involvement 48 hour prior to the melodramatic January 8 press conference?
Will Governor Christie please come out and have a press conference and answer these questions immediately? And if he has lied, will he please apologize and resign? (And I ask this in the nicest possible liberal non-partisan liberal way, with a great deal of sympathy and empathy for him a fellow human being. We just shouldn't have liars being Governor.)