Today is not shaping up to be Chris Christie’s day.
The New Jersey governor’s previously scheduled press conference has been postponed:
Gov. Christie just postponed his public event for today, a Sandy recovery-related news conference.
— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) January 8, 2014
Just in, Christie's public appearance for this AM has been postponed.
— Matt Arco (@MatthewArco) January 8, 2014
And some people are reading between the lines, suggesting that the real reason for the delay is the developing “Bridgegate” scandal:
Traffic problems on his office phone lines MT @mikiebarb: Gov. Christie just postponed his public event for today
— Adam Smith (@asmith83) January 8, 2014
And… Christie's previously scheduled event today has been postponed. #crisismanagement
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) January 8, 2014
Held up in traffic RT @DanielStrauss4: I wonder why… RT @RyanLizza: Christie just canceled his one public event for today.
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 8, 2014
This past August, Christie’s deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly apparently conspired to hold up traffic for a mayor who had not endorsed the governor for re-election:
A month later Wildstein [formerly a top Christie aide at the Port authority] did indeed create the traffic problems that Christie’s office requested. He closed down two of Fort Lee’s access lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the country. The closures came on Sept. 9, the first day of school in Fort Lee, leading to massive traffic jams as bridge traffic backed up into local streets. As a result, police and emergency vehicles were delayedin responding to reports of a missing child and a cardiac arrest.
The closures came just weeks after Fort Lee’s mayor, Democrat Mark Sokolich, had appeared to decline to endorse Christie’s reelection bid. Sokolich told The Huffington Post in an interview Wednesday morning that he never explicitly told Christie’s team that he wouldn’t endorse the mayor.
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“There were overtures that were made to the effect like, ‘Is this something you would consider?’ And I don’t ever recall getting back and saying no,” he said. “I think that was a conclusion that they, in the infinite wisdom of the folks in Trenton, must have reached the conclusion that I wasn’t going to. But I never specifically said no.”
But perception of a snub was evidently enough:
"Time for some traffic problems!" Oh man, that's classic.
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) January 8, 2014
"They are the children of Buono voters."
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) January 8, 2014
Holy crap. pic.twitter.com/PJA0CZS0UX
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) January 8, 2014
Even if it wasn't punitive, it's just not a sign you're a committed public servant when you say stuff like that.
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) January 8, 2014
Exactly.
Thing to consider about Christie scandal…his staff hurt regular people trying to get to work to settle a score. That's crappy.
— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) January 8, 2014
So far, at least, Governor Christie hasn’t been shown to have played a direct role in Bridgegate. But if he’s truly committed to preserving the integrity of his administration, he needs to take action.
https://twitter.com/CAAmyO/status/420974242755129344
If the allegations are true, Christie’s staffers’ behavior is inexcusable. If he is slow or reluctant to punish them, that doesn’t speak well of his character.
https://twitter.com/ThomasHCrown/status/420982470809358337
No one deserves a pass on poor leadership.
https://twitter.com/FilmLadd/status/420971248433127425
I hope Christie is hammered over the bridge closure. Politicians need to be smacked hard for little abuses so they don't lead to big abuses.
— jon gabriel (@exjon) January 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/jimmiebjr/status/420951485523197952
@jimmiebjr AMEN. If a town's mayor bullies his opponents on Main St., imagine what he would do as governor or president.
— jon gabriel (@exjon) January 8, 2014
And as we’ll soon show, lefties and the MSM are only too delighted to give political bullies a pass — as long as those bullies are Democrats.
***
Update:
A ‘Bridgegate’ too far: Plouffe, MSM stoke outrage over Chris Christie, give Dems a free pass
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