Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen
He might have made a fatal mistake...us(ing) taxpayer money to fund that report...because of that, he might actually have to abide by the subpoena...
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And it's looking more fatal by the minute.
"This memorandum does not contain a verbatim transcript of what was said at the meeting; rather, it is a summary of the discussion that reflects counsel’s mental thoughts and impressions and is therefore covered by the attorney work product doctrine."
So begins each of the 75 interview summary memos distilled from Christie's taxpayer-financed, self-absolving investigation of Bridge(t)-Gate and the accusation that he masterminded the shakedown the mayor of Hoboken. Unfortunately, because it WAS taxpayer financed:
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Christie’s Mastro Mistake: Report Backfires Politically, Legally
“It seemed crazy to me to do what they did,” Robert Del Tufo, a former New Jersey...and U.S. Attorney, said of Christie’s...internal investigation. “They spent over a million dollars of taxpayer money. It’s unusual in an internal investigation not to take down transcripts of what people said, and presumably they just summarized things so they could put a slant on what people said."
...Del Tufo...believed the interview memos “implicitly would be public information paid for with public funds, and I think investigators could get the memos with a subpoena.”
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Well,
the interview summary memos are now online -- it's a moot issue anyway. So let's take a took at what Christie had to "say" for himself (beginning on page 163):
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The Governor was not aware, and had no recollection of ever knowing, that Mayor Zimmer took any position adverse to the Rockefeller Group project.
The Governor...now knows that Wolff & Samson represented the Rockefeller Group, although he was not aware of that at the time of the allegations at issue.
The Governor had no memory of meeting Mayor Sokolich. The Governor knew Mayor Sokolich’s name because of the accusations that Mayor Sokolich made.
While the (lane) realignment was in effect, Governor Christie did not recall being aware of the lane realignment or the traffic caused by the lane realignment.
...Baroni and Wildstein, along with others, were present for most of the time (during the 9/11 memorial ceremony). The Governor has no specific recollection of conversations with them, other than light banter.
Asked whether anyone raised the subject of traffic in Fort Lee prior to or at this event, the Governor responded that he had no such recollection...
...(T)he Governor pointed out that Wildstein is not a contact in his cell phone. The Governor commented that his direct contact with Wildstein was when Baroni brought him to meetings.
The Governor had no specific recollection of the September 17, 2013, and October 1, 2013 Wall Street Journal (“WSJ”) articles...The Governor had two reactions to the article: (1) it was typical of Foye to write and then leak an email, rather than directly discussing the issue; and (2) the Governor wanted to know what happened.
(T)he Governor thought McKenna came back and told him that Baroni said this was a traffic study, and that Foye was making a huge deal out of nothing.
Asked about...Wildstein’s and Baroni’s resignations, the Governor recalled telling McKenna to ask for Wildstein’s resignation, and telling O’Dowd and McKenna to ask for Baroni’s resignation, although the Governor did not recall when this was.
...(T)he Governor recalled someone (though he does not recollect who), relaying that Wildstein had said something along the lines of, “I’m not stupid; I got this cleared by the Front Office.”
On the morning of December 12, 2013, there was a breakfast...(with) union leaders, which Stepien attended. The Governor had no specific recollection of that event...
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You'll be happy to know, however, got when the going got tough, Christie got going:
During the December 13, 2013 senior staff meeting, the Governor walked in, slammed the door, and stood the whole time.
The next day, the Governor went to Trenton...He then held the press conference, while exhausted, answering all questions. Only after coming back did he realize that the press conference lasted nearly two hours.
But that isn't to say that he lacks a sensitive side:
The Governor recalled that O’Dowd had reported that Kelly was crying when she had said that she had nothing to do with the lane realignment...The Governor was not surprised that someone, particularly an individual like Kelly, might be nervous or upset in this situation...
Maybe the root of Christie's problems is that he doesn't recall becoming New Jersey's governor!