The Intensification of Political Retribution.

The scent of blood is running in the water, and traces of vengeance are wafting in the air over Trenton.  Governor Chris Christie has run up against his first real drag-down, take-no-prisoners assault. 

There are now at least several special committees within the Democrat-controlled New Jersey Legislature that are being established to determine the causes of the unannounced closure of lanes at the George Washington Bridge.

In addition, investigations into this matter have been started in Washington, and the U.S. Attorney for the State of New Jersey is also getting into the picture.
 

THE SOURCE:  Several notorious e-mails from Christie’s staff which were made public by the Bergen Record are being claimed by Christie opponents to be evidence that the lane closures were ordered with Christie’s personal knowledge.

However, during an exhaustive, one hour and forty-eight minute press conference, Christie repeatedly denied having any prior knowledge of those closures and profusely apologized – almost interminably. 

He fired a top staffer responsible for writing a wholly inappropriate and incriminating e-mail and let go another very close advisor and campaign manager who directed Christie’s two winning gubernatorial drives.

Several other Christie-appointed persons serving on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey resigned. 

REASON FOR THE LANE CLOSURES:  The alleged objective of those closures was to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for his purported failure to support Christie in his recent drive for a second gubernatorial term.  Fort Lee was the feeder for those backed up lanes, and traffic was stalled for hours.

MY TAKE: I believe the governor’s statement made to New Jerseyans during his nearly two hours long apology that he did not order, nor did he support those lane closures, and that he had no prior knowledge of them. 

As a former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, he would be a fool to have taken two hours on national TV to lie.  It’s just not him. 

But that won’t matter to those politicians in New Jersey who see this as an opportunity to cripple Christie’s second term before it takes hold and, even more essential to his foes, to destroy his character and any chance that he may have to garner his party’s nomination for a Presidential run.

Neither of those two, highly destructive political objectives favors the long-term interests of the State of New Jersey.

Thanks for taking the time to consider these words, and stay well.