Hoboken Mayor: Christie Withheld Sandy Funds as Political Payback

thedudedoesnotabide
reply to post by ownbestenemy

 

she* and who's to say she didn't try and speak out prior to this and is just being heard now. I would suggest taking a bit of your own advice and read some of the articles before formulating an opinion.

HA!
That's rich.

"Who's to say she didn't try to speak out"?
CNN, that's who:

Zimmer's comments Saturday and Sunday are a change from what she told CNN just last week, when she said that while she wondered whether Sandy aid funds were being withheld because she didn't endorse the governor's re-election, she concluded that "I don't think that's the case."

Perhaps it is you that "need to read some of the articles."

Harte

NJ Governor Chris Christie is chewing his leg off, not because he's caught in a trap, he just likes the way it tastes.

HUMBLEONE
Madame Hillary's only serious opposition in 2016 has been taken out at the knees. Brilliant! You've got to hand it to the Clinton's they are outstanding politicians.

But they didn't have to do anything. This mess is entirely one of Christie's own making. It is just sad really.

HUMBLEONE
Madame Hillary's only serious opposition in 2016 has been taken out at the knees. Brilliant! You've got to hand it to the Clinton's they are outstanding politicians.

Why would you take him out now? If this was a purely political move, and not one that highlights gross mismanagement and negligence to the People, you would wait until Gov. Christie has announced.

I don't really see this as a political hit piece, but I don't think it is for the "good" of the People of New Jersey either. Those that closed the bridge for no other reason except for political payback should be punished in a court of law.

reply to post by ownbestenemy
. Kind of interesting that Benghazi is back on the radar screen now? Political tit for tat., lends credence to my hypothesis?

The timing is right.
He said he wanted to run for president? Well lets wait for the right time to blow him up to make sure he never even makes it close.

ownbestenemy
reply to post by Mamatus

 

It doesn't strike you though that this mayor, almost a year and half years after Hurricane Sandy, that these politicians are coming out of the woodwork to ride the coattails of this?

I am not defending Christie, but come on...where was he when he was supposedly being denied funds? Why wait til now? Do people even bother to think critically or do we just soak up what we are told to feel and think...my guess, the later.

This is exactly why I wrote a small thread here on the precarious position of the press regarding the bridge nonsense. Because they pushed hard, they have unleashed the People to find the truth. Counter that to say Bengahzi, or the IRS, or Fast and Furious, or NSA spying programs and the press is silent.

I mean come on, they have, in less than a week, already established a special committee to "get to the bottom" of it all.

She's been screaming for a year and a half about this - it's only now that the media has begun paying attention. PS: she's not the only one making the claim.

Christie's team has been circulating a denial by another town mayor, Matt Doherty, that allegedly refutes Zimmer's claim that at a live town hall Richard Constable and Herself had one of the conversation where he insisted on the Christie project be greenlighted, in exchange for Sandy relief funds. This other mayor claimed the conversation could never have taken place because he was sitting between them;

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, who also was a panelist, said he didn’t hear a conversation between Zimmer and Constable.

“I sat next to Mayor Zimmer and, if I recall correctly, (Constable) was on my other side,” Doherty said.

Christie's defense team has been pushing this denial hard, only one problem is that a photo has surfaced showing that Zimmer and Constable were indeed sitting next to each other, as she claimed;

Fact-checking a key Zimmer claim

Zimmer’s version of events makes clear that she was sitting next to the Christie administration official. But is Doherty’s memory accurate?

It is not. As is clear in the above photo, Doherty’s mistaken. Seated in the front row, from right to left, is Doherty, then Zimmer, then Constable. Patrick Murray, the director of Monmouth University’s polling institute, is on the far-left side of that front row.

It’s not surprising that the governor’s office hopes to undermine the accuracy of the mayor’s claims, but in this case, her version is at least plausible – she was seated next to Constable, just as she claimed. Doherty’s account, which Team Christie is circulating, is simply mistaken.

reply to post by Mamatus


The amount the mayor asked for was about 1/3 of the ENTIRE Federal aid package that the state received. Hoboken is a whopping 2 or three square miles. Shes lucky she got the $70 million that she got.

It cracks me up that the Democrats that Christy was so comfortable palling around with have stabbed him the back at the drop of a hat... and he didn't see it coming!

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


Just makes it plausible (doesn't confirm anything nor debunk anything) and even MSNBC admits that it doesn't do anything except courrect a false memory (one used as a claim, but false non-the-less).

From your source, the conclusion of that article is:

That does not mean, of course, that we can say with certainty what, if anything, Zimmer and Constable discussed. What’s more, the public television station that aired the special has no recording of the pre-show conversations.

Seems it is a he-said, she-said instance then, unlike the bridge nonsense. To me, it has all the earmarks of riding coattails.

You also claim that the Mayor of Hoboken has indeed been "screaming" about this for a year and half, but where is it? Are you saying that the press silenced it? What about other claims? How do you know if the media hasn't been publishing articles or reporting about it?

For this instance, let us agree with your statement in this regard, and it has been the media who has buried the story...it begs this question: Why did they dig the story back up and revive it as soon as the bridge fiasco come to light and not immediately after the "fantastic" job Christie did after the hurricane? That doesn't strike you at all?

reply to post by Mamatus


Well lets see if everybody takes the lie detector test or not or if we even hear anymore about it, otherwise its just one politician against another politician.

This is only the beginning of the Clinton attack machine, they haven't even warmed up yet.

I usually vote Republican. I don't know the "other side" to this story, but if Christie was involved in this and/or the bridge thing, he should be fired immediately. Yup...that coming from me!

But here are the facts. All our politicians break the rules, the law, put people at risk, etc. for their personal, political and financial gain. They were HIRED to do a job, not to get rich, gain power or keep themselves in office other than doing a good job. This starts at the top. President Obama who breaks the law daily and bypasses the law even more often. Our government is out of control and if not smacked down, will be the end of this country.

Fire Christie if this is true, fire Obama because he does it blatantly and for that matter...fire them all. We are drowning and they have their hand on our heads.

Maybe the NSA can quit spying on common people and start recording all conversations of Public Servants so we can weed out the corrupt amongst them (probably 67%). Oh wait, they are already directing the NSA to spy on us to find out what we know about their corruption.

Maybe all this stuff about Christie is true but the Mayor of Hoboken was using her diary as proof. Also Mayor Zimmerman changed her tune, from CNN "Zimmer's comments Saturday and Sunday are a change from what she told CNN just last week, when she said that while she wondered whether Sandy aid funds were being withheld because she didn't endorse the governor's re-election, she concluded that "I don't think that's the case."

"I don't think it was retaliation and I don't have any reason to think it's retaliation, but I'm not satisfied with the amount of money I've gotten so far," Zimmer told CNN last week, not mentioning her concerns about the redevelopment project."

Of course she changed her mind again and in that same article it says "But Sunday morning, Zimmer told CNN's Crowley that she didn't speak out before because she didn't think anyone would believe her, adding that she is now "offering to testify under oath."

CNN

I'm usually the one to believe when a scandal breaks in politics that it's more than likely true but I'm kind of surprised more proof hasn't been found of Chris Christie being involved. Usually when a story like this breaks the politician first comes out denies it and within 48-72 hours the flood gates open and that same politician is on stage with his wife admitting guilt haha. If Ted Kennedy can survive the Chappaquiddick incident and still be respected/love than Christie should be fine as long as his people kept him out of the know or they could just say what difference does it make.

reply to post by Mamatus


Doesn't surprise me! I have always thought he was rude, vulgar, and untrustworthy. I have NO IDEA why he'd ever be considered a possible presidential candidate! That he's been discussed as such is an embarrassment to the entire party.

Democracy still working well then hey? lol

This is politics as usual. According to some polls in a theoretical race against Hillary Clinton, Christie was shown to be the one who would have the best chance to beat Clinton. What people don't really get is the GOP Gerrymanders to get into office, the Democrats manipulate the media. Both are underhanded, but it happens. Just as the Democrat's side is gearing up to send Clinton out to campaign, they wanted to shut Christie down before he did so. This is nothing more than a pre-emptive campaign strike, nothing more. And nothing out of the ordinary. It takes our attention off of Obama's foul ups, and focuses them of what the corruption they want us to see.

ownbestenemy


I am not defending Christie, but come on...where was he when he was supposedly being denied funds? Why wait til now? Do people even bother to think critically or do we just soak up what we are told to feel and think...my guess, the later.

YES...This crap is timed to scuttle his run for President..

NO...It doesn't mean that the these actions are any less corrupt or true.

They simply sat on it for ammunition.

Sidenote: Christie was vetted for Romney's VP slot. One of Romney's staff explained in an interview that Christie had TOO MANY SKELETONS and was passed on.

Aside from the gems we are seeing in the headlines now...Christie was HEAD of a lobbying group that worked for Bernie Madoff pressing the fed to back off on regulations and enforcement.

What Mitt Romney learned about Chris Christie in 2012 and why it matters for 2016
www.washingtonpost.com...

I am all for the value of a close election. The GOP needs to get better candidates for 2016 and they need to find them soon.

Feds Interview "Several Witnesses" Who Support Dawn Zimmer's Account

Federal authorities in New Jersey have interviewed several witnesses who said the mayor of Hoboken told them in May about a state official’s threat to withhold hurricane recovery funds if the mayor did not support a development project favored by the governor, people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

The statements by the witnesses, two of whom are aides to the mayor, Dawn Zimmer, support the account she gave to federal prosecutors on Sunday, and the interviews suggest that prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have moved swiftly to investigate her accusations.

Source: Hoboken Mayor Is Said to Have Told of Threat

FBI confirms earlier conversations she said she had about the threats from the administration; FBI questions aides to Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, report says

Dan Bryan, Zimmer’s chief of staff, and Juan Melli, her communications director, are among at least five witnesses interviewed by the FBI.

Zimmer herself has offered to go to court with her testimony. However the US Attorney has asked her not to give any more media interviews, a sign they are taking this very seriously.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office has asked that we not conduct additional media interviews and we are respecting their request,” the statement reads. “I stand by my previous statements and remain willing to testify under oath about all of the facts in this case."

Meanwhile, Christie appointee David Wildstein is claiming he will testify in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

The former appointee of Gov. Chris Christie who directed lane closures that backed up traffic for hours in one New Jersey town is reiterating that he is ready to share more information if he can be granted immunity from prosecution.

Meanwhile, 17 other people and three organizations are being issued subpoenas as lawmakers try to learn exactly how the September lane closures on an approach to the George Washington Bridge from the community of Fort Lee happened and why.

David Wildstein, whom Christie appointed to a position in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has already supplied a legislative committee with the most damning documents in the case so far, including an email from a Christie aide saying it was "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," a sign that the lane-closing plot was hatched by Christie's aides as a political vendetta.

Wildstein's lawyer Alan Zegas told The Associated Press on Friday that there has not been any offer of immunity from the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is reviewing the matter. "If he has immunity from the relevant entities, he'll talk," Zegas said.

(source: ABC News

Yet somehow people want to blame a small town mayor for 'piling on'.