Walker And Christie Feeling The Heat

Billionaire Koch-brothers-endorsed Republican Gov. Scott "Koch Head" Walker (R-Kochland) is engaging in the "nothing to see here, move along" strategy when it comes to answering questions about the criminal investigations into his 2012 recall campaign operations:

Two career prosecutors--one a Republican, one a Democrat--just called Scott Walker a liar, and not a single national newspaper took notice.

The comments came after Walker, an unannounced candidate for president, used an appearance on an Iowa radio show to publicly attack a bipartisan criminal investigation into his campaign as a "political witch hunt" with the aim of "trying to intimidate people."

The Special Prosecutor leading the probe, Francis Schmitz--a Republican who voted for Walker in 2012--fired back, stating, "these recent allegations are patently false."

"His description of the investigation as a 'political witch hunt' is offensive when he knows that the investigation was authorized by a bipartisan group of judges and is directed by a Republican Special Prosecutor appointed at the request of a bipartisan group of district attorneys," Schmitz said.  [snip]

The current criminal investigation into Walker involves serious allegations that the governor and his campaign disregarded the state's campaign finance laws during the 2012 recall elections.

Or, 

As former Milwaukee District Attorney E Michael McCann told the Center for Media and Democracy: "If you've got the facts on your side, fight on the facts. If you've got the law on your side, fight on the law. If you've got neither, fight the DA."

Meanwhile, the Bridgegate scandal involving Gov. Chris "Krispykreme" Christie (R-Toast) and his closest staff  has taken an ominous turn for the Narcissist from Newark:

Gov. Chris Christie's high-school buddy and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey appointee, David Wildstein, has pleaded guilty to plotting to create a 2013 traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge as political payback against a Christie opponent.

But Wildstein isn't the only fish in the net:

In addition, Bill Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie have been indicted by Paul J. Fishman, the United States attorney for New Jersey. Those indictments include "multiple counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, including 'knowingly converting and intentionally misapplying property of an organization receiving federal benefits.'" You can read the full indictment here.

Krispykreme's continuing to employ the Sgt. Shultz (his mustachioed Doppelganger) defense, which should in and of itself disqualify him from further consideration as a presidential candidate.

(Image:  Walker and Christie - "If we end up sharing a cell, I get the bottom bunk.")

Chris Christie's Bridgegate: Key Witness Now Cooperating

From Esquire's Scott Raab:

Bad news for Chris Christie -- and very good news for the citizens of New Jersey: Esquire has learned from sources close to the investigation that David Wildstein, the former Port Authority operative who helped plan and execute the Great Fort Lee Clusterfk, is now cooperating with Paul Fishman, the federal prosecutor investigating the soon-to-be-ex-governor and his minions for criminal conduct. Fishman has also increased the number of investigators at work on the case, and has begun presenting evidence and witnesses to a grand jury in Newark.  (our emphasis)

Raab's analysis and prediction?

Chris Christie’s White House fever dream died at his January press conference, where he spent two hours wallowing in self-pity over how his aides had deceived him. Now that David Wildstein’s talking, his days as governor are numbered -- in weeks and months, not years.

The gusty winds expected over the mid-Atlantic states in the next 24 hours?  Yeah.  Krispykreme deflating.  All that lips-on-tuchas action with Sheldon Adelson was for naught?

Sunday Cartoon - Chris Christie Gets To The Bottom Of Things

(click to enlarge - heh heh)

We're far from "the bottom of things," of course.  Christie is on his innocent humble-bluster tour of teevee and Sheldon Adelson's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's Bitch."  A brief lull until the immunity deals start dropping.  (This cartoon lends itself to the "Where does the 800 pound gorilla sit?" joke chestnut, too.)

BONUS:  It looks like Gov. Krispykreme's pilgrimage to Sheldon Adelson's tuchas didn't go off without a hitch:  in remarks to the Rethuglican Jewish Coalition, Krispykreme referred to the West Bank as "occupied territories," a big no-no especially to the assembled audience and to the Israeli right wing.  Krispykreme later "apologized" for his gaffe to Adelson, who reportedly was "satisfied."

BONUS II:  Headline over at Andy Borowitz': SHELDON ADELSON SAYS NO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE WORTH BUYING.  

(Matt Davies, via gocomics.com)

Bridgegate: Another Christie Crony Connection

This brings us "Up" to date with the latest in Republican Gov. Chris "Krispycreme" Christie's Bridgegate scandal, including information linking Christie crony and Port Authority Police Lt. Thomas  "Chip" Michaels (and family) with the bridge lane closures and the effort by Christie's minions to blame it on the Democratic mayor of Ft. Lee. It's a long (14 minutes) piece, but hang in there:

Another Christie Bridgegate Revelation

From the New York Times, this afternoon (our emphasis):

The former Port Authority official who personally oversaw the lane closings on the George Washington Bridge in the scandal now swirling around Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Friday that the governor knew about the lane closings when they were happening, and that he had the evidence to prove it.  [snip] 

The letter marked the first signal that Mr. Christie may have been aware of the closings, something he repeatedly denied during the news conference.

The air continues to whistle out of that balloon.

Another Shoe Dropping in Christie's Fiefdom?

A lot of buzz about MSNBC "Up" host Steve Kornacki's interview today of Hoboken, NJ, mayor Dawn Zimmer, who alleges Gov. Chris "Krispykreme" Christie's goons strong-armed her during the Hurricane Sandy disaster:

Two senior members of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration warned a New Jersey mayor earlier this year that her town would be starved of hurricane relief money unless she approved a lucrative redevelopment plan favored by the governor, according to the mayor and emails and personal notes she shared with msnbc. 

The mayor, Dawn Zimmer, hasn’t approved the project, but she did request $127 million in hurricane relief for her city of Hoboken – 80% of which was underwater after Sandy hit in October 2012. What she got was $142,000 to defray the cost of a single back-up generator plus an additional $200,000 in recovery grants. 

Anyone noticing a pattern here?  This could be the opening that empowers other Jersey officials to come forward with their own accounts of other Krispykreme administration extortionist strong-arm tactics that have directly harmed the State's citizens.

Mid-Week Born To Sit In Traffic Song

We were going to feature another song for the "Mid-Week" selection, but after seeing Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen do a parody last night of the Bridgegate scandal to the tune of Springsteen's "Born to Run," well, that did it.  An instant classic of political satire.

Today's Cartoon - Christie's "Bridgegate," Cont.

"Oh, the humanity! huge man in Jersey!"  Two disasters involving large, blimp-like, flammable, gaseous objects in New Jersey.  Who wouldn't make the connection?   The Christie Bridgegate scandal continues to deliver sweet schadenfreude.

(click to enlarge)

(Jack Ohman, The Sacramento Bee)

Today's Cartoon - Christie's "Bridgegate"

(click to enlarge)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Christie's "Bridgegate"

New documents released on Friday show that Gov. Chris "Krispykreme" Christie's associates  organized a cover-up to hide the true reason for the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September:

Officials loyal to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey went to elaborate lengths to make it appear that the September closing of lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge was part of a traffic study, even though their private communications suggest the move was purely political, according to documents released on Friday.

The documents also show a concerted effort to keep their true motivation hidden, including the insistence by one official of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in an email that communications about the matter should not be conducted by email or discussed publicly.

And,

The documents also indicate that Mr. Christie’s appointees at the Port Authority had discussed the matter with Mr. Christie’s communications director, Maria Comella, as early as Oct. 2, after the second of two articles appeared in The Wall Street Journal. “Comella didn’t think much of the story. Said nobody paying attention,” Mr. Baroni texted Mr. Wildstein.

The emails also suggest the intimate involvement of David Samson, Mr. Christie’s handpicked chairman of the Port Authority, showing that he was aware of the lane closings before they ended on Sept. 13.

So, we are to believe that none of Krispykreme's loyalists told him about this, nor did he probe into it, in 4 months? Remember the lesson taught by every scandal from Watergate on -- it's not the crime, it's the coverup?

BONUS:  Here's more on why Christie should be held in suspicion.