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Defense Seeks Mistrial

Once upon a time, not so long ago...

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NorthJersey.com (February 2016): Two former associates of Governor Christie may have behaved badly by allegedly closing access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in an act of political retribution, but they didn’t break any laws, say their attorneys...(They)...say that even if the alleged political conspiracy is true, there is no law against causing a traffic jam.

Critchley said that Kelly, who sent a now-infamous email “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” cannot be prosecuted because her actions did not even violate Port Authority policies, let alone federal laws. He added that Kelly and Baroni are being prosecuted under a law usually used against people who commit theft or bribery, even though the pair did not benefit financially from the lane closures. He also argued that charges of violating civil rights are usually brought against people accused of using excessive force.

Baroni’s lawyer, Michael Baldassare, repeated many of Critchley’s arguments (and) also argued that Baroni was denied a fair trial because prosecutors failed to pursue evidence that could exonerate his client. In particular, Baldassare zeroed in on...a lengthy report in March 2014 exonerating the governor of blame for the lane closures. Instead of handing over its evidence to prosecutors, the firm redacted and withheld thousands of documents, and released massive collections of documents in large, unsearchable files...Gibson Dunn has billed the state $8 million in fees for its work...

The fact that there was a trial is good reason to believe that this didn't work. Perhaps it would have if they had asked if Gibson Dunn had conspired to destroy the report, and if they did so with or without a proveable motive. But if at first you don't succeed, try, try again:

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NJ.com: Defense attorneys...asked for the declaration of a mistrial...in the wake of a furtive, day-long battle that took place behind-the-scenes...over whether jurors had been incorrectly instructed.

The request was made in a redacted application that gave no reason for the mistrial request. At the same time, assistant U.S. Attorney David Feder filed a separate motion asking the court to seal the record..."Because the filing refers to a matter that was addressed in a sealed courtroom on Nov. 2, 2016, and because its disclosure would complicate the court's efforts to ensure a fair trial..."

It was not known whether the issue involved the jury itself, or another legal matter. But it came following a...dispute (about)...U.S. District Court Judge Susan Wigenton (telling) jurors they need not consider the politically inspired motive in the George Washington Bridge scandal in determining the the guilt or innocence of the defendants...

"While it is true that motive is not an essential element of every conspiracy, it is an essential element when the grand jury charges a defendant with conspiring to do so, and in fact, doing something he is authorized to do, but doing it for an improper purpose," (Kelly's attorney) wrote in his motion. He called it an error to instruct the jury otherwise, and that the court should correct it with re-instructions to the jury.

It is also true that the prosecution hardly ever has to prove intent and NEVER has to prove motive. Your clients have been charged with committing illegal acts, NOT with the motives behind committing them.

I don't think I've ever seen a thread where about 95% of the posts are made by one person. It must be like writing a diary :D

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Originally Posted by bonjovi90 (Post 1213291)

I don't think I've ever seen a thread where about 95% of the posts are made by one person. It must be like writing a diary :D

:B-fly:

Someone has way too much time on her hands. The whole NBJ section is basically rocknation's diary / social media account

I guess I'd better alert the admins, then -- either I'm not the only one who has too much time on my hands, or this diary has been "hacked" more than 36,000 times! ;)
It's not my fault that Christie's sins have been three years in the making. And my compliments to you both on your excellent timing...

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Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly GUILTY on ALL counts

In a seven-week trial that saw their own words used against them, Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly were convicted of helping orchestrate massive traffic tie-ups at the George Washington Bridge in September 2013. The plot was hatched to send a pointed message to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, after he stepped back from his earlier public support of Gov. Chris Christie...

The jury began reading its findings just before 11:30 a.m. and delivered their guilty decisions in rapid fire. Baroni and Kelly were charged on nine counts, and faced five of them together. The other four charges were split evenly, two each for the defendants.

Baroni stared at the jury stoically as the verdicts were read. Kelly cried and continued to sob as she heard the word guilty repeated time and again. Neither defendant stood as the verdicts were read...(They) face a maximum of 20 years in prison, but are likely to serve far less under federal sentencing guidelines...

Fortunately, the defense "no motive, no crime" tactic failed, along with what I suspect was a crusade among a juror or two to turn Kelly into a damsel in distress and prevent her four children from being "orphaned" by jail time.

But this victory is only of a battle, not the whole war. Next up: the investigation of Christie's official misconduct!

Bridge(t)-Gate Aftermath: Some jurors speak out

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NorthJersey.com: Emotional arguments, tears, and heated exchanges characterized much of the jury deliberations...according to a Morris County man who sat on the jury that...and deliberated over another five days. “It was very hard,” the juror said, “Thinking about somebody going to jail.”

...Initially...(they) were split roughly eight to four in favor of convicting Kelly and Baroni...He declined to provide details, but he said that “things got testy”...Several jurors were in tears.

One of several sticking points for the jury...regarded the motive for the bridge closure scheme...Unbeknown(st) to the jury...attorneys had argued...about whether the jury would be instructed to weigh the motive element of the charges...(Another) disagreement (was) based on the impact the verdicts would have on the defendants’ lives...(But) “(o)nce we could put the emotional stuff behind us...things started to come together.”

The "impact the verdicts would have on the defendants’ lives?" That's not the jury's department. If the defendants’ acts are determined to be illegal and criminal, it's up to them to convict -- it's up to the judge to determine and deliver the appropriate amount of "impact."

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Bloomberg.com: (A juror) ...express(ed) bewilderment that neither Christie nor other members of his inner circle were held accountable in the plot...

“It is clear to me that there were many other people involved, including Governor Christie." (she said). "Based on the evidence presented over the past seven weeks, it is my opinion that Governor Christie is a master puppeteer and was aware of everything that went on, and goes on, within his administration.”

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NorthJersey.com: A juror...(said)...Gov. Chris Christie should have been one of the defendants in the case...(S)he did not believe Baroni and Kelly, both 44, were scapegoats, because the term implies they were innocent. The evidence supported a verdict of guilty, she said. But she called (them)..."sacrificial lambs" for a larger corrupt group of government officials...(She) said she was "appalled" by a written statement Christie released in the hours after the verdict...

Christie...said he was "saddened" that Kelly...and Baroni...showed "a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and for the people we serve." Christie also reiterated he knew nothing about the lane closures...

"As a former federal prosecutor," the governor continued, "I have respected these proceedings and refused to comment on the daily testimony from the trial. I will set the record straight in the coming days regarding the lies that were told by the media and in the courtroom."

(On)...Nov. 23...Christie is scheduled to appear in...(c)ourt...in connection with a citizen complaint alleging second-degree official misconduct. (A) presiding municipal court judge found probable cause to support the claim...

Until then, LOL! But don't forget that isn't the only federal investigation he has pending.

Christie has escaped being tried in a court of law for now, but not from being tried the court of public opinion -- which might explain why he's been sounding like a spoiled adolescent lately:

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Dear Diary:

I am SUPER "sauced" about my new ratings -- Only nineteen percent approve of me, only twenty-five percent approve of how I'm doing my job, and the poll spokesman has the nerve to say, "Since the dust has not yet settled from the trial and Christie himself is due in court in a few weeks, we may have not yet seen the end of Christie's decline."

And to think that the poll is from a New Jersey public school, Rutgers University! Well let's see how fast their enrollment goes up when I pass a law requiring students and faculty alike to be subject to random drug testing!

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Dear Diary:

You should have seen me on the Charlie Rose last night! He wanted to discuss Bridge(t)-Gate and I gave him such a long overdue earful! I said I would have been "happy to appear at the trial" but now that it was over, "I'm not going to sit silent any longer" because "I didn't do anything wrong," the "what matters to me most is my reputation, and that's what I'm fighting for...I'm no longer going to be a punching bag on this." I bet THAT will get my poll ratings skyrocketing out of the high teens!

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Dear Diary:

You are NOT going to believe this -- President-Defect Donald Trump has decided to make Mike Pence the head of his transition team! Mike Pence??? Since when do vice president-elects ever given responsibility to do anything??? Oh, and in case I didn't get the hint, they demoted -- NOT replaced -- the two guys I brought into the campaign with me. I'll bet that son-in-law of his is behind this -- just because I sent HIS father to jail! Where does he get off being such a vengeful, vindictive bully??

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Dear Diary:

Look at what that bastard Paul Muhshine wrote about me:

In the 1990 classic "Goodfellas"...Jersey's own Joe Pesci is told that he is going to become a made man in the Mafia. He is instead summarily dispatched with a shot to the back of the head because he did something that displeased the big boss. That's what happened to our governor last week - on a symbolic level of course.

Exactly what Christie did to upset Trump was not made public, but...My sources inside the Republican Party say that it was a collection of offenses...The people around Trump...concluded...that "Christie's all about Christie; he's not about you..."
That sounds a lot more like someting that Mulshine would say about HIMSELF. Why does he keep picking on me -- because I once called him an angry drunk?

He always sounds like a spoiled adolescent :(

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NJ.com (February 2014): The New Jersey Legislature plans to revive a bill giving Gov. Chris Christie the authority to raise salaries for top staff, enact a pension change that benefits a few elected officials and clear the way for Christie, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, to earn income from a book deal while in office...

To help secure votes for the proposal...(a)ll 120 legislators would see a $30,000 increase in the size of their budgets for staff salaries, bringing the total to $140,000 per legislator. The legislators pay their chiefs of staff and other aides out of that annual allocation, an amount that has not increased in more than a decade. Legislators themselves continue to earn $49,000 and would not see a raise.

The bill could reach Christie's desk as soon as next Friday, the lawmakers said. Among other things, it includes a provision that adds book fees to the list of income state officials like Christie are allowed to receive. Current law prohibits such outside income while in office.

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NJ.com (February 2015): Every winning presidential candidate in the last 60 years has first published a book. So where is Gov. Chris Christie's?...(T)he 2016 field of GOP contenders have been teeing up 2016-aimed books at rapid-fire pace...

Under New Jersey state law, a sitting governor is barred from "receiving or agreeing to receive, whether directly or indirectly, any compensation, salary, honorarium, fee, or other form of income from any source, other than the compensation paid or reimbursed to him/her by the State for the performance of official duties." But that could change in the coming weeks or months.

Late last year, lawmakers worked on a deal that would rewrite the law to allow Christie to profit from a book deal in exchange for more money for legislative staff and judicial salaries..."We've got a lot of people working in these offices for far less than they'd make in the private sector, so if a bill comes up that lets the governor to profit from a book, and also increases the allotment for staffers, I'd certainly be open to it," said Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon...

Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) said his bill to allow Christie to profit from a book could again gain traction if the governor "really wants it," noting that Christie may become increasingly motivated with each passing week. "The clock is ticking with his circumstances," he said.

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NJ.com (December 2016): Tension is likely to be high at the Statehouse...as New Jersey lawmakers are scheduled to begin considering a pair of controversial bills linked to Gov. Chris Christie...

One (bill) the governor's office says could save money but critics warn could seriously hurt the state's newspapers. The other measure would loosen a state ethics law to allow Christie -- a Republican who is entering his second and final term -- to profit from a book deal while still in office. At the same time, it would allow millions of dollars in raises for high-ranking government employees that proponents say are long overdue. Both bills -- which have bipartisan support and are updates of past legislation that failed -- are being fast-tracked through the Democratic-controlled state Legislature.

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NJ.com: ...(a) legal ad... is a notice that is required by law to be advertised in a local newspapers to meet public disclosure rules. Legal ads can be (placed by) municipalities announcing government actions or disclosing delinquent taxpayer notices...(B)usinesses and individuals are sometimes required to place public notices...The bill would allow businesses to place the ads for free.

Advocates say it would...save municipalities money...because (they) could post notices online and wouldn't need to spend anything on advertising...(T)he municipality would have to create a "notice website" that would have to be secure and searchable...cost(ing) money to establish and maintain...infrastructure, personnel and technology requirements...

The New Jersey Press Association estimates 200 to 300 jobs could be cut from the newspaper industry that's already reeling from a record decline in ad revenue if it loses public notice advertising...Christie has had a rocky relationship with the state's press.

It doesn't sound like his relationship with political expediency is doing well, either. Sure, the argument could be made that he ought to be able to write a book, and no doubt legislative raises are long overdue. But to turn them into Siamese twins -- at long last, has he no shame? And WHY does he still want to do the book? He no longer needs it as an instrument of national recognition. It's been about a year since his wife left her $750K part-time job -- maybe it's just that they're hurting for money. But the real point is, each time he's tried to slip this deal through, the public has shouted it down for the smarmy backroom deal that it is...hmm, maybe Bridge(t)-Gate isn't the ONLY "rock" in Chrisite's relationship with the press!

You would think that after barely getting out of Bridge(t)-gate alive, his public humiliation by the Trump regime, and his resulting low ratings, Christie would be a little more circumspect about being involved in anything for which he could be blamed directly. But noooo...

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NJ.com: New Jersey lawmakers...began advancing a controversial bill that would loosen a state ethics law to permit Gov. Chris Christie to profit from a book deal while in office and also allow raises for a wide swath of high-ranking government employees...

The measure is now likely to be considered by the full Senate and Assembly on Monday -- only a week after it was quietly introduced...It's unclear exactly how much money the plan would cost taxpayers. Because the measure is being fast-tracked, the state Office of Legislative Services has yet to prepare an estimate -- though the figure is likely to be in the millions...

The...Senate and Assembly committees approved another controversial measure...that would dismantle a state law requiring governments, businesses, and individuals to publish legal notices in printed newspapers...(giving) them the option to publish them online instead.

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NJ.com: ...According to an estimate released by the nonpartisan state Office of Legislative Services...the bill...would cost the state and county governments $7.45 million in 2017 and at least $10.6 million in 2018 and beyond...

It appears the book deal part of the bill would not cost taxpayers anything. But the measure would allow all 120 members of the Legislature to increase the salary allotments for their staff members...

And you would think that after barely getting out of Bridge(t)-gate alive, his public humiliation by the Trump regime, and his resulting low ratings, New Jersey Democrats would be jumping on him as though it were fourth and inches at the Super Bowl. Indeed, the bill was originally co-"introduced" by a Democrat:

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NJ.com: State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the budget committee's chairman, said...that he's "not a fan" of tying the book aspect in with the raises but ended up voting for the legislation. "I'm being practical...There's a lot of good in this bill. If that is what's needed to make sure it gets bipartisan support and governor's signature? So be it."

But that was then, this is now. The Democrats are now in control of the state legislature, and Christie has neither political or moral credibility -- not to mention not having the support of the public. And the New Jersey Dems are STILL running scared? Why not just say no to him? Christie's "politics as usual" days are long since over!