You remember the story about when Chris Christie ran over the man on the motorcycle and blamed the guy for hitting him? Now not only is it not his fault for the accident, but he's saying the officer was wrong on the police report. On Fox and Friends this morning, Christie reminded everyone that the guy hit him and added a new twist to the story, saying that he wasn't driving the wrong way on a one way street:
Christie told a police officer he "was traveling west on Murray Street and was lost. He reached Chilton Street, the light was red, so he inched forward attempting to make a right on red, but never saw the one-way traffic sign. He then stopped upon observing oncoming traffic."
A motorcycle driven by Andre Mendonca "also braked. The motorcycle fell on its side and slid into his vehicle." Mendonca said that he was traveling on Chilton Street when Christie turned in front of him."
The diagram clearly shows Christie turning the wrong way down a one way street, the report clearly states that Christie did not realize it was a one way street and even mentions that he stopped among seeing ONCOMING traffic. If you don't turn the wrong way, why is traffic oncoming?
You have to wonder how law enforcement feels about a candidate for governor letting stand for several years a police report that accuses him of what he now says he was innocent of, then lets news reports of same stand for over a month- even though there was a police report duly filed by the officer - then comes out days before an election to, essentially, question the officer's professional responsibility and job performance. And that's after the officer used the discretion not to issue Mr. Christie a ticket.
I guess there's just one set of street signs for Chris Christie. Another set for everyone else.
Seriously, sometimes Chris Christie would be better off giving a no comment. First, Christie reminded us that the motorcycle hit him when trying to explain how he hit someone while going the wrong way down a one way street. Now in his next version of the story, he can't seem to remember anything except for this:
"I have never spoken to the man since I helped put him in the ambulance that day," Christie said.
No shit he put him in the ambulance. Christie was going the wrong way down a one way street, regardless of whether he thinks the man on the motorcycle got in his way or not. And Christie really showed an awful lot of concern for the man he put in that ambulance not talking to him since that day.
Some people, including the Christie campaign, are saying Chris Christie got a speeding ticket, and so what? Ok, even if you take that tack, what's the explanation for the shifting stories?
His campaign acknowledged Aug. 26 that Christie's job as U.S. Attorney came up at the stop as Christie handed over his license and identification to the police officer.
Lambertville Police Director Bruce Cocuzza: "He identified himself as a U.S. Attorney but I don't think the officer on duty knew what that was," he said.
So the Chief says Christie identified himself and the campaign says it was at the time of showing identification. But now, Christie says it wasn't him, it was the one armed man... err tow truck driver:
Christie said that he had not identified himself as the U.S. attorney, but that a tow truck driver had recognized him.
No offense, but Christie's name ID in 2005 probably registered just above mine. That's like me saying that I got a flat on the highway and the tow truck driver fixed it all for free because he recognized me as a writer for Blue Jersey. This latest iteration of the story came four days after the initial campaign response. If it's such a simple situation, what's with the delay in between this latest update? That wasn't the only change in the story made.
"He was agitated at the prospect of his vehicle being towed away," said Cocuzza, a Democrat who ran for Hunterdon County Sheriff in 2007, told PolitickerNJ.com's Max Pizarro in a phone interview. "He was worried about his family being left on the side of the road with no vehicle."
[snip]
Cocuzza said that Christie did tell the officer about his law enforcement position.
"He was a little loud at the prospect of being towed and then calmed down."
Lambertville Police Director Bruce Cocuzza reported that Christie got loud during the stop, but Christie described his demeanor only as "affirmative." "I don't think I got loud or abusive, but I certainly was saying 'let me drive my car home and I will take care of the oversight on the registration on my wife's car when the DMV opens up on Monday,' which we did," Christie said.
What a perfectly scripted talking point in response to this situation, well done by whoever wrote it for him. And Christie wasn't done correcting the record.
Contradiction # 3:
On who got out of the car, when and why:
Christie also denied a report that Brown got out of the car during the stop and flashed her badge. She resigned as first assistant U.S. attorney on Tuesday after it was revealed that Christie had loaned her $46,000. Christie said only he got out of the vehicle, at the officer's request.
I always thought you were supposed to stay in the car. And we weren't done yet.
New Jersey 101.5 FM reported this afternoon that Christie, now the Republican gubernatorial nominee, was stopped for speeding in what turned out to be an unregistered, uninsured vehicle, but was allowed to drive the car away.
He was also ticketed for not having insurance or registration. He said the car, which belonged to his wife, was insured, but she had allowed the registration to lapse.
Way to throw your wife under the bus on that one. There's also conflicting reports about whether he paid a $250 fine or $700 in fines. There may be reasonable explanations to some of these questions, but why the delay in correcting the record if it's such a simple case of someone getting a speeding ticket? It's not like people weren't giving the campaign an opportunity to tell their side of the story. If Christie's trying to make this story go away, or sell the idea that there isno story here, all the holes and differing accounts of what actually happened are in fact keeping the story alive.
Assembly Speaker Roberts has introduced a bill in the Assembly (and Sen. Nia Gill intro'ed the one in the Senate) to cease the selling off of municipalities' affordable housing responsibilities. He called the deals, called Regional Contribution Agreements, "veiled racism." Mayors who need the cash praise the program; the New Jersey State League of Municipalities also opposed the bill.
Today is the last day for occasional drivers on the Atlantic City Expressway to see a toll discount on their EZ Pass bills. Frequent users (35 or more trips a month) will continue to see their discount but less frequent users will have to pay the full fare as of tomorrow. The South Jersey Transportation Authority plans to use the increased revenue for widening projects and EZ Pass express lanes.
Everyone's reporting that it's goingto becoldtoday. The pathetic thing is that it's actually news that it's cold in January. There might even be a few snow flurries tonight!
The Bray, the NJDSC's newly revived blog (no comments over there, but you can leave them love, scorn and tax advice here instead), has some handy driving directions and tips for Tom Kean Jr as he makes his way from the statehouse to the NJN studios for Monday's debate against Senator Menendez.
