Ex gov christie

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday became the latest ex-Trump official or surrogate to blast Bob Woodward's book, calling it "incorrect" and lacking "standard fact-checking." "To be clear, a number of the statements attributed to me and from others to me in the Woodward book are incorrect," Christie said on Twitter. "I would have been happy to correct them if Mr. Woodward or any member of his staff would have called me, as a person they were quoting, for standard fact-checking," he said. In Woodward's book — "Fear" — published Tuesday, The Washington Post reporter wrote that Trump accused Christie of "stealing from me" and feared that the transition team was "jinxing" his chances of winning the 2016 election. In one passage, Woodward said that then-candidate Trump called Christie to Trump Tower in New York along with campaign CEO Steve Bannon. Trump was incensed to learn that Christie, whom he made head of his transition team in May 2016, was raising money for … [Read more...] about Chris Christie Joins Chorus Slamming Woodward Book

The possibility that President Donald Trump could use an executive order to force the border wall funding issue is a real "jump ball" in terms of legal strategy and whether the courts will back him, but another shutdown "is not going to happen," ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday. "I don't think Republicans in the Senate would allow it to happen even if the president wanted it to," Christie told CNN's "New Day" about a second shutdown. "I don't think he will do that because it's not practical and (won't) get him what he wants." Christie, though, said both sides will have to give something up to make a deal. "I worked with a Democratic legislature for eight years," Christie said. "What I learned was in a tough negotiation, everyone's got to win. If everybody doesn't win something, then it damages the relationship going forward, and you never get anything done." Meanwhile, the shutdown was a "failure," said Christie, and if another one happens, the Democrats will own more … [Read more...] about Christie: Executive Action on Wall Would be ‘Jump Ball’

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A former aide to Gov. Chris Christie was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for his role in a political revenge plot involving traffic jams at the country’s busiest bridge, a scandal that sank the Republican’s presidential aspirations.Bill Baroni, 45, was the first of two former Christie allies to be sentenced Wednesday after being convicted in November of all the counts against them, including wire fraud, conspiracy and misusing the bridge for improper purposes. Bridget Kelly, 44, will be sentenced later Wednesday.The government’s star witness, David Wildstein, testified that he and the co-defendants plotted to cause gridlock to retaliate against the Democratic mayor of nearby Fort Lee for not endorsing Christie’s re-election. Fort Lee was plunged into gridlock for four days in September 2013. Text messages and emails produced at trial showed Mayor Mark Sokolich‘s increasingly desperate pleas for help being ignored by … [Read more...] about Ex-Christie Aide Gets Prison Term for Bridge Revenge Plot

A former aide tof New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took a plea Friday and two more individuals were federally indicted in the so-called Bridgegate case over a claimed scheme to create traffic jams to punish a Democratic mayor of Fort Lee who didn’t endorse the Republican’s re-election.The ex-aide, David Wildstein, pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark to civil rights conspiracy and conspiracy to “obtain by fraud, knowingly convert and intentionally misapply property of an organization receiving federal benefits,” according to Bloomberg and USA Today.Meanwhile, indicted former Christie deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, 42, and Bill Baroni, 43, a former Port Authority deputy executive director, pleaded not guilty Monday to deprivation of civil rights, conspiracy and wire fraud charges. Each are free on $150,000 bond.At issue in the case is a massive multiday traffic jam created by the closure of local lanes of the George Washington Bridge during the … [Read more...] about Ex-aide takes plea, 2 more allies of NJ gov face charges in ‘Bridgegate’ traffic-jam case

Federal prosecutors alleged on Monday that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie knew about his close associates’ scheme to shut down lanes to the George Washington Bridge as it was unfolding.Prosecutors made the allegation in opening statements in the trial of two former government officials, report the New York Times and Bloomberg News.Prosecutors claimed government officials had bragged about the scheme to Christie, and Christie knew the closures were intended as punishment for a mayor who didn’t support Christie’s re-election.According to the Times, the “striking” assertion that Christie had contemporaneous knowledge of the closings had not been previously made by prosecutors.Christie has said that he didn’t know about the bridge closings ahead of time and had no involvement in the decision. Christie has also said he didn’t recall being told about the closings as they were occurring. A report by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher had found … [Read more...] about Chris Christie knew about bridge scheme as it unfolded, prosecutors allege in trial of ex-officials