Chris Christie spent two hours making us all believe that he was -- typical conservative -- the victim.
Poor him. HE feels bad. Boo hoo hoo. Go on, Christie; blubber like Boehner. I don't care when either one of you does that.
One of the most intriguing aspects of his presser was that he asked the question "What did I do wrong that these people lied to me?"
I don't think these people lied to him at all. And I don't think he did diddly squat about finding out what took place with the bridge scandal.
Christie clearly knows and understands, as a politician, and as a lawyer, especially as a former federal prosecutor, that you don't ask questions to which you know the answers or to which you do not want to know the answers.
The question that it appalls me that Christie did NOT ask was "What did I do wrong that these people thought this was appropriate behavior?" or "What did I do wrong that I selected corrupt people in so many (now at least six or seven) positions so close to me in my administration AND campaign?".
THAT doesn't seem to be a significant concern to Christie. It SHOULD BE.
It is completely unbelievable to me that these people would act without the knowledge and approval and under the direct orders of Chris Christie. Chris Christie has a reputation for administrations AND campaigns that are punitive, vengeful, and vindictive.
The content of the more than 2,000 pages of emails and other data made available so far shows this was the culture of the Christie administration, and his claims of not being a bully be damned. The testimony of the traffic engineer that he acted because he was afraid he would lose his job if he did not shows that to be clear. Chris Christie is not a Bully, like Tricky Dicky Nixon was not a crook.
We have one of the key players, a person at the highest level in Christie's office, who clearly was part of this scandal as it took place. We have a key person at the highest level of the Port Authority, a Christie appointee, shown to be a key participant in the scandal --- Christie doesn't mention him, hasn't fired him.
We have references as well to a person named 'Charlie' who has been tentatively identified as Christie's administration's lawyer. He's not fired. Two other key players are being promoted, not fired, by Christie -- one being pushed for Attorney General, the other to be his new Chief of Staff.
Christie can't play dumb. He can't play innocent. Not after the information that is emerging. Especially not if there is any immunity given to the lower level players, like David Wildstein.
There is more to learn, but like the agents involved in Dirty Tricks, like the Plumbers, like the Watergate break in, there is more than enough to see the NJ Bridge Scandal as one of the few scandals that really DOES resemble Watergate and Nixon.
