Here are some interesting new tidbits this morning for Chris Christie scandal addicts from Brian Murphy of MSNBC in Bridgegate circle widens which contain lots of new small revelations as well as hints suggesting Murphy has a new source who is suggesting that Cyrus Vance Jr.'s Manhattan prosecutor's office is nearing readiness to act.
Murphy starts his tease telling us that the term “Bridgegate” is quickly becoming insufficient," leaping into a review of the recent New York Times article describing the cooperating of the Manhattan District Attorney's office with investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether or not the Port Authority committed criminal fraud violations of the Martin Act, misleading bondholders when it succumbed to pressures from Governor Chris Christie to pay $1.8 billion to repair the Pulaski Skyway while labeling it a “Lincoln Tunnel Access Infrastructure” in bond disclosures.The Port Authority does not own the Pulaski bridge and it does not directly connect to the Lincoln tunnel.
I didn't cover this because we had already covered that same information in the article from Main Justice a month ago, but the NYT has the credibility so the rest of the media followed en mass.
Under the Martin Act prosecutors do not have to prove intent to get a misdemeanor conviction, but only for a felony conviction.
Murphy also repeats prior reports that David Samson is thought to be a primary target Fishman's investigation and that Fishman is trying to get Samson, who is 74, am may not want to die in prison to turn on Christie. What some people seem to forget is Samson may also figure that at the pace these processes go, he may die of old age before Fishman could get a conviction. No word yet on how these discussions are going with Samson's lawyer Chertoff, who was Fishman's mentor.
I can just hear Chertoff now saying to Fishman, "That a nice theory of the case ya got there Fish, what a shame if Samson was to develop memory problems from old age." And, "my calender is looking pretty booked through 2019, how does 2020 look for you in case we have to go to trail? .. Oh, and how about David gives you Boroni, Stepian, Wildstein, and Kelly, and does some community service lectures at high schools?"
Fishman has empaneled two grand juries, one just for the George Washington Bridge lane closure related charges, and a second to look at the charges made by Dawn Zimmer that she was pressured by approve a project favored by Governor Christie in order to get Sandy funds allocated for Hoboken. Backers of that project were also clients of David Samson.
So, in our imaginary discussion between Fishman and Chertoff, "Fishman says, how about Samson gives me Christie, Kim Guardagno, Boroni, Stepien, Wildstein, Kelly, Drewniak, and five of his top real estate clients and does two years on a suspended 10? I can already get Boroni, Stepien, Wildstein, and Kelly to put Sampson away for 40, and his name will be crap, and his assets frozen for 20 years while auditors look at very penny he's ever looked at." Oh, to be a fly on that wall.
The major new revelations in Brian Murphy's tasty article are from exhibits the New Jersey Legislative committee used in the hearing with Governor Christie's chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd, which show that "the circle of people with possible knowledge about the closures may have been wider than previously shown."
Phone logs show that during the period of time of the lane closures David Samson was in regular contact by phone and email with Bill Baroni, and also talked with Regina Egea, and Bill Boroni had been in communication with David Wildstein and had been aware of Mayor Sokolich's complaints about the traffic in Fort Lee.
During the week of the closures Port Authority Chairman David Samson had multiple telephone calls with the agency’s then-deputy director Bill Baroni, who was the top political appointee from N.J. on the agency’s day-to-day staff. Specifically, Samson spoke with Baroni for eight minutes at 9:09 p.m. on the evening of Monday, September 9. Baroni had been aware of Mayor Sokolich’s complaints about the traffic in his town, and not long before calling Samson, Baroni received a text message from David Wildstein, the New Jersey appointee who actually implemented the lane closures. At 8:46 p.m. Wildstein sent Baroni a message saying: “911…call me.”
“The circle of people with possible knowledge about the closures may have been wider than previously shown.”
Baroni phoned Samson soon after. Samson had spoken with Baroni already that night, along with Regina Egea, an attorney in Christie’s office who handled Port Authority issues. Samson also called Wildstein that evening. All of these calls – seven in all – happened after 6 p.m. on the first day of the lane closures, while Samson appears to have been in the resort town of Red Lodge, Montana.
However, with the release of the 12 new witnesses’ names, the committee will likely be busy throughout the summer and into the fall. In addition to the Fort Lee mayor, the committee will also likely subpoena the following people: Mike DuHaime, a Republican political consultant who is very close to Christie and who mentored his former chief of staff Bill Stepien; Charles McKenna, the governor’s former counsel; Regina Egea, who the governor planned to name his chief of staff and who handled Port Authority issues in the counsel’s office; Deborah Gramiccioni, another former counsel’s office attorney who now holds Baroni’s job at the Port Authority; Port Authority Police union chief Paul Nunziato; Philippe Danielides, a former aide to Samson; Philip Kwon, a Port Authority attorney whose nomination to the state supreme court was rejected in 2012; Nicole Crifo, one of Egea’s colleagues who is now at the Port Authority; Christopher Porrino, a former counsel to the governor; Paul Matey, Porrino’s deputy; and Evan Ridley, a former staffer in the governor’s office. Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye is also expected to testify at some point; his first appearance, scheduled for June, was postponed in cooperation with a written request from the U.S. Attorney.
Brian Murphy drops another tease on us in his last line has he reminds us the next meeting date for the New Jersey Legislative Committee is scheduled for July 8, and then says, "in the meantime there are signals from numerous sources that the Manhattan prosecutors could make their move sometime soon."
Ha! Doesn't, "in the meantime" imply to you "before July 8?" Keep your popcorn warm Christie Kogs, I have a feeling we will talk again today. Lots of rumors bubbling up which I will add to updates. The circles of potential anonymous sources is widening which makes it safer for anonymous sources to leak. So I suspect we will start hearing more salacious rumors to fire up our Christiegate addictions.
7:12 AM PT: By the why, is anyone else annoyed that no one in the media is talking about the fact the we have three different people indicating that Governor Christie lied in his January 9, 2014 press conference when he said he had no idea any of his staff was involved and no one in media is asking him about it?
We may have to wait on these federal prosecutors for indictments, but we do not have to wait for "nothing else," to be sufficiently confident that Governor Christie has been "less than completely forthright" with us. He looked us in our eyes in his January 9, 2014 Press Conference and appears to have lied to us. Governor Christie's preposterous explanation would require us not only to believe his implausible and contorted story, presented in the discredited Mastro report but also have to believe that Bill Stepien, Mike Drewniak, David Wildstein were all lying.
While Governor Christie is entitled to his day in court with regard to indictment charges, as Governor, after he chose to make his series of press conferences advancing the stor(ies) that he has need to come before the press again and explain that he is accusing all of these other people of lying, and telling us why we should believe him.