Trump Takes Immediate Action When People Don't Work Hard (And Become Annoying)

Campaign Insider Reveals Chris Christie Was Bumped From Key Position For Hogging Pics, Being Annoying

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Ever since Donald Trump replaced New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as the head of his transition team with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, suspicion has been rife that the “Bridgegate” scandal was what caused Trump to replace him.

While a Monday report from Yahoo News indicated that Bridgegate played some role in the firing, sources within the Trump campaign said that the president-elect was angry at Christie’s obnoxious behavior on election night, when the governor tried to push to get in photographs with the newly-elected president.

The report also stated that Christie’s absence from work had been so conspicuous that many were surprised he even showed up on election night.

Yahoo News said that “according to a high-level campaign source familiar with Trump’s thinking, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kept pushing to be near the president-elect and ‘trying to get in shots.'”

“Trump got annoyed,” the source told Yahoo.

That wasn’t all. Yahoo reported that “two staffers said Christie did alarmingly little work on the transition and was largely absent from the campaign during the weeks leading up to the election, when Trump was widely expected to lose. According to one account, campaign staffers had been so accustomed to Christie’s absence that they were surprised to see him appear at campaign headquarters in Trump Tower — on Election Day.”

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“Where was Christie? Where was he? He certainly wasn’t planning the transition. We (didn’t) have nearly as much planning as we should have,” one of the staffers was quoted as saying.

A Politico report published Saturday also said that Trump was annoyed that Christie seemed to be filling up the transition team with lobbyists and New Jersey cronies, in direct opposition to the president-elect’s promise to “drain the swamp.”

He also found that Christie had done extremely little vetting of the candidates’ backgrounds, which was something Trump realized the Democrats could jump on.

Trump has never been one to accept poor performance from those who he employs, and he proved that this summer when Paul Manafort was forced out as the head of Trump’s campaign. This seems to be another similar instance of Trump seeing something he didn’t like and acting on it with relative quickness.

Even if Christie may have lost the job at the top of the transition team, he may not be out of the Trump administration entirely. As New York Magazine pointed out, Christie met with the president-elect at the Trump National Golf Club in his home state on Sunday, and may still get a job in the administration.

As for the transition team job, though, that’s passed him by. And if these reports are true, it’s all for the better.

Please like and share on Facebook and Twitter with your thoughts on Christie’s ouster.

Do you think Christie should have been forced out?

Are The DemonCrats Pushing Against A Wall In Their Attempt To Bring Down Christie. Are They That Afraid Of Him?

Chris Christie and the Vendetta Against the GOP

Wednesday, 17 Dec 2014 12:30 AM

By Christopher Ruddy Newsmax

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The ongoing probes of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his associates over the so-called Bridge-gate matter boil down to another example of political prosecutions that border on political persecutions.

The case involving the George Washington Bridge occurred in January, nearly a year ago, and should be open and shut by now.

Christie was recently cleared in a report by a New Jersey legislative committee of any prior knowledge of the plan to impede traffic onto the bridge by closing access lanes.

No one thinks or believes he ordered the closing of any bridge lanes. So why the worry?

It is clear that some of his aides may have acted out of political considerations in their decision to close the lanes. If that is the case, their actions were stupid, but not criminal.

We now have three continuing inquiries into the lane closings. The most significant is by the United States attorney for New Jersey, Paul Fishman, which includes probing, or should I say “fishing,” as to whether the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, was used as an instrument in the governor's re-election campaign.

According to press reports other investigations, by the Manhattan district attorney and the Securities and Exchange Commission, are looking into whether Port Authority funds were misused to help fill shortages in Christie's budget, and whether the Port Authority misled investors regarding bonds used to pay for repairs to road projects in New Jersey.

Just last week the New York Times reported that federal prosecutors have been considering charges based on a rarely used provision (the Times called it “obscure”) of a fraud law.
The prosecutors could argue that Christie aides used the bridge for a purpose other than its intended use — specifically, for political purposes.

The statute can be used against members of a government agency that receives more than $10,000 a year in federal money, such as the Port Authority, and is typically employed to elevate offenses committed by local officials into federal crimes.

Translated: the Feds really don’t have a reason to go after anyone so they are reaching, perhaps desperate.

Bridge-gate has become nothing more than a fishing expedition for Democrats out to get Christie and impede his presidential bandwagon.

The case is reminiscent of what former House Republican Majority Leader Tom Delay called the "criminalization of politics" in the decision by a prosecutor in Texas to indict Gov. Rick Perry on a "ridiculous" abuse-of-power charge.

Even Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, a liberal Democrat, recently told Newsmax that these type of political charges are an example of a "dangerous" trend of courts being used to affect the ballot box and politics.

Why the witch-hunt against Christie? Simple: He remains a very viable Republican candidate for the presidential race in 2016 and a likely winner if he were to get the nomination.

Though he would have an uphill battle for the GOP nomination, if he were to get it he would be an extremely strong contender for the presidency.

Christie is at first blush the perfect candidate, a descendant of Irish and Sicilian immigrants, a successful prosecutor, and a governor who championed and won pension and union reforms in a blue state with a blue state legislature. He also opposes crippling taxes and ticks off most boxes of the Reagan coalition.

Christie also has the most charisma of the current GOP presidential field.

His shortcoming is that he has miffed the GOP base by playing to the center and the mainstream media to win re-election in New Jersey, even criticizing Republican leaders nationally.

Yet in a strange way, the Left's attempt to persecute Christie could actually help his GOP standing because it is so obviously motivated by their worry he actually might be the GOP nominee.

Hence, the Democrats want to keep pushing Bridge-gate as far as they can and for as long as they can. Perhaps they have finally gone a bridge too far and should finally “shut up,” as the New Jersey governor might put it.

© 2014 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Is Bridgegate Christie's Waterloo?

Report: Federal Grand Jury Probing Christie Bridge Scandal

Mike Drewniak

Friday, 04 Apr 2014 09:18 PM

By Cathy Burke

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A Gov. Chris Christie-commissioned probe cleared him in the Bridge-gate scandal, but the New Jersey governor's woes may not be over – a federal grand jury is reportedly looking into the case.

ABC News reported the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey has convened a panel to investigate the involvement of Christie's office in the scandal that has rocked his administration – and squeezed him out of the GOP presidential frontrunners.

Convening the grand jury shows the federal investigation has now moved to the "criminal phase," ABC News reported.

Christie press secretary Mike Drewniak took the stand Friday – and was inside the federal courthouse in Newark, N.J., for two hours – but lawyer Anthony Iacullo insisted his client isn't a target of the probe.

"We're here to answer questions and that's what Michael did today," he told ABC News.

"I'm not going to get into the specifics as to what would be discussed in the grand jury," he added. "I would say though that Mike is a witness and we have been assured that he continues to be a witness throughout these proceedings and Mike has continued to cooperate as requested by the government into this inquiry."

Iacullo also wouldn't comment about whether Christie knew of, or had a direct role in the shutdown of lanes leading to the busy George Washington Bridge last September that caused massive traffic jams.

The issue erupted into a major scandal when Christie acknowledged in January a top aide and an associate orchestrated the closure.

Christie, however, has repeatedly denied knowing about the plot or being involved in it.

ABC News also reported state prosecutors are monitoring the federal case, and would continue the probe if the feds turn it over to them. A spokesman for acting New Jersey Attorney General declined to comment.

Lawyers for Bridget Kelly and Bill Stepien, two former Christie associates who are key figures in the scandal, said their clients have not been called to testify before the federal grand jury, The Associated Press reported. A lawyer for Bill Baroni, a former Christie deputy with the agency that runs the bridge, refused to comment.The legislative panel will meet next week to vote on issuing subpoenas for the interviews Christie's lawyers used as the basis for clearing the governor. A judge's ruling is also expected soon on whether Kelly and Stepien will be required to turn over documents to the legislative investigators involving the lane closings.
Kelly and Stepien are fighting to have subpoenas withdrawn by asserting their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Most of the people and organizations close to Christie that have received subpoenas are handing over the requested documents.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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• Christie Says He Doesn't Have Too Much Baggage to Run for President
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© 2014 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Bridgegate Just Scored Another Victim--Conservative Tom. We Can't Stand The Lies Anymore. Can You Believe They Hired A Firm That Represents The State?

Law Firm That Conducted ‘Bridgegate’ Review Paid $3.1 Million To Represent New Jersey

March 31, 2014 by UPI - United Press International, Inc. 

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Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, the law firm that released its report last week on the “Bridgegate” scandal, received $3.1 million in 2013 for representing New Jersey.

The Star-Ledger of Newark said it has obtained records that show Gibson Dunn ranked second on a list of private firms paid by the New Jersey attorney general last year. The firm represented New Jersey in a battle to legalize sports betting.

Randy Mastro, a New York-based lawyer with the firm, released a report that blamed Governor Chris Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, and David Wildstein, a Christie appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for the lane closings that snarled traffic in Fort Lee, N.J., for four days in September. The closing of approaches to the George Washington Bridge was allegedly an act of political payback.

Mastro’s report, which reportedly cost taxpayers $1 million, exonerated Christie.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, the Democratic lawmaker heading a committee conducting its own investigation, suggested Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has a conflict of interest.

“They’re certainly going to be very careful about biting the hand that feeds them,” he said.

Wisniewski also said Monday he plans to subpoena the interviews done for the internal review. He said that if Christie has nothing to hide he has no reason to invoke attorney-client privilege.

If Bridgegate Involves Christie, After All The Denials, He Will Be Cooked!

Christie repeats: 'I had nothing to do with this'

By Rebecca Shabad

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) again denied Monday night having any involvement with authorizing the George Washington Bridge lane closures, but admitted the traffic problems could have been mentioned to him in passing at the time.

“I had nothing to do with this. I’m so disappointed that this has happened. But I’m so determined to get to the bottom of it, and to fix it once and for all if I haven’t fixed it already by the actions I’ve already taken, and to move on to do the job the people of New Jersey elected me to do,” Christie said on NJ1015’s “Ask the Governor” live show. 

Christie said someone may have mentioned the traffic in Fort Lee, N.J. during the lane closures last September, but added “It wouldn't have been meaningful to me." 

”Things could have been mentioned to me about traffic,” Christie admitted, but when asked why he didn’t investigate it, he then said, “I didn’t know about traffic.” 

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The governor’s comments come just a few days after the letter claimed “evidence exists” that Christie knew of the lane closures at the time that they were imposed.

Another staffer within the Christie administration also resigned over the weekend, reportedly because she had been directly involved with the scheme of political retaliation.

On the radio show Monday, Christie said he had “no knowledge, no planning, no authorization, nothing to do with this before this decision was made to close these lanes by the Port Authority.” 

The governor confirmed the U.S. Attorney’s office has subpoenaed his administration’s office, and said he would comply with the request for documents in the investigation. 

As for the investigation by the state legislature, Bridget Anne Kelly--Christie's former deputy chief of staff--said she would invoke the fifth amendment and won’t turn over documents, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. Christie fired Kelly in early January for orchestrating the scandal. He also broke ties with Bill Stepien, his former campaign manager.

Nothing has surfaced that makes Christie believe one of his staffers is still lying, he said on the radio show. If that changes and any current employee is implicated, “They will be fired,” he added. 

Christie said he has told investigators: “Be thorough, be efficient…but get me the story.”

If Dershowitz Is Right, Christie Is In Big Trouble. Will He Be Forced To Resign Or Face Criminal Charges?

Dershowitz: 'The Dominoes Are Beginning to Fall' for Christie

Friday, 31 Jan 2014 09:02 PM

By Todd Beamon

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Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax on Friday "the dominoes are beginning to fall" in the spiraling bridge-gate scandal engulfing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and said "I think he hasn't told the whole truth and is in trouble."

"The U.S. attorney should now subpoena the documents that were referred to in the letter and should sit down and talk to the governor," the former Harvard Law School professor said in an exclusive interview.

"The governor so far has not spoken to law enforcement nor has he spoken under oath, so legally, he can lie all he wants," Dershowitz said. "He's not obliged to tell the truth. Politically, he may be obliged to tell the truth, but legally he's not.

"But once he sits down and talks to law enforcement, he has to tell the truth, otherwise he can be prosecuted for a crime.

"They have to lock in his testimony as soon as possible, before he knows what all the dominoes are, and he has to give those answers," he added. "That what the U.S. attorney's office should do now. The sooner the better."

Dershowitz's comments came after the lawyer for a former Christie appointee for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey disclosed that his client had evidence that proved the Republican governor knew early on about the lane closures that snarled traffic on the George Washington Bridge for four days last September.

Alan Zegas, who represents David Wildstein, said in a letter that was published by The New York Times and The Star-Ledger that it was "the Christie administration's order" to close the lanes at the town of Fort Lee.

Wildstein resigned in December because of the scandal.

The two-page letter added that "evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference."

Zegas wrote to the Port Authority asking it to reconsider its decision not to pay Wildstein's legal bills, according to The Star-Ledger. Wildstein ordered the abrupt and unannounced closure of commuter lanes leading to the bridge, causing massive gridlock.

In a statement late Friday, Christie's office said he told the truth about what he knew about the politically motivated lane closings, and disputed the allegations in Wildstein's letter.

"Mr. Wildstein's lawyer confirms what the governor has said all along: He had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened and whatever Mr. Wildstein's motivations were for closing them to begin with," the statement said.

"As the governor said in a Dec. 13 press conference, he only first learned lanes were closed when it was reported by the press and, as he said in his Jan. 9 press conference, had no indication that this was anything other than a traffic study until he read otherwise the morning of Jan. 8.

"The governor denies Mr. Wildstein's lawyer's other assertions," the statement said.
The U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Paul Fishman, said earlier this month that he would open an investigation into the bridge lane closings.

Fishman must give immunity to Wildstein — "and he's going to have to testify and tell the whole truth and be asked hard questions," Dershowitz said.

But regardless, Christie is in trouble, he told Newsmax, and "if he is smart, and he is smart, he's talking to somebody behind the scenes — a very good criminal lawyer.

"He hasn't disclosed that. He doesn't have to. He can keep that a secret."

More broadly, the former law professor said that Friday's disclosures illustrated a personal rift between Wildstein and the governor over the bridge scandal.

The men have known each other since high school, according to news reports, but Christie made negative comments about Wildstein at the Dec. 13 press conference.

"Gov. Christie really made his stupid mistake by treating Wildstein the way he did," Dershowitz said. "He provoked him. Christie showed his total ineptness when he said what he said about Wildstein at the press conference."

Related Stories:

• Star-Ledger: If Christie Lied, He Should 'Resign or Be Impeached'
• Podesta Says New Christie Revelation May Kill White House Plans

© 2014 Newsmax. All rights reserved.