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malaise

(269,282 posts)
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 05:56 AM Feb 2014

Rachel is on Chris Christie like white on rice - enter Phil Kwon

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/02/03/WSJ-Christie-ally-prepped-official-before-bridge-testimony/UPI-75301391411120/?spt=rln&or=1
<snip>
A lawyer tied to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie prepped an official who lied George Washington Bridge lane closures were for a traffic study, an official said.

Philip Kwon, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's deputy general counsel, spent parts of four to five days helping Bill Baroni prepare for testimony before a New Jersey legislative committee Nov. 25, the official told the Wall Street Journal.

"What concerns me is why the Port Authority or any member of the Port Authority staff, if the allegation is true, would have to spend four or five days preparing somebody who told this story that is obviously incorrect," she told the Journal.

Kwon got his Port Authority job in July 2012, after Democratic lawmakers rejected his nomination by Christie to the state Supreme Court, partly over concerns about his family's finances.

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bigdarryl

(13,190 posts)
1. The bottom line in all of this is there still is no smoking gun
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 06:21 AM
Feb 2014

Linking Christie himself to any of this.I'm starting to think he's more in hot water over the Sandy money than Bridgegate.

gwheezie

(3,580 posts)
2. I think Sandy will turn out to be the bigger problem also
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 06:57 AM
Feb 2014

Remember when Randy Paul gave him all that grief about the sandy money? the teabags in congress are not going to nominate this guy even if he has a political life left after this mess, they were looking for a reason, now they have one.

 

Laura PourMeADrink

(42,770 posts)
9. Agree. If you think back to the words Christie spoke - back during his
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 10:25 AM
Feb 2014

marathon presser...he said his staff assured him there was NO INFORMATION out there. Odd choice of words, no? He was referring to the "time for problems" emails. This to me was code for PROOF.

That Wildstein claims he has proof Christie knew about it - bet it's something very obscure and not an email directly from Christie saying "Oh my god...this is great..can not wait to see how our plan to f these people up for not supporting me turns out. Gonna pop some popcorn now ! " If Wildstein had real proof, he'd have immunity by now.

Even Sandy money is not air tight yet, is it? The Hoboken mayor has no real proof except for her journal. And didn't Christie get HUD approval on his family tourism ads. Not up to date on any more on this, sorry,

IMHO, he's gonna get away with all this - that is from the legal perspective. But, there may already be enough to tarnish him politically forever.

Orsino

(37,428 posts)
12. Unless we count Christie's dismissing Kelly without asking questions.
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 11:02 AM
Feb 2014

That's the mark of a cover-up.

no_hypocrisy

(46,309 posts)
7. A witness, prepared to lie under oath, who was a NOMINEE TO THE STATE'S
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 09:41 AM
Feb 2014

SUPREME COURT . . . .

Now, THAT'S bad.

Laxman

(2,419 posts)
6. The Only Thing That Would Save Kwon...
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 09:40 AM
Feb 2014

is that Baroni's testimony was not under oath. Otherwise its a slam dunk subornation of perjury charge and he's lost his license to practice. There are however attorney ethics rules about being honest with a tribunal that may also land him back in the family business instead of practicing law.

jsr

(7,712 posts)
10. Kwon knew NOTHING about his mother making 222 deposits of slightly less than $10,000 each
Tue Feb 4, 2014, 10:33 AM
Feb 2014
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/07/failed_christie_court_nominee.html

Failed Christie court nominee gets Port Authority job


Wisniewski said Kwon’s hiring at the Port Authority raises the same concerns senators had about the banking habits of his mother, who agreed to pay $160,000 in federal taxes to settle a legal action that involved her liquor store in New York state.

Authorities had alleged that from April 2010 to February 2011, more than $2 million in cash from the business was broken down into 222 deposits of slightly less than $10,000 each to avoid scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service, an illegal practice known as "structuring."

No criminal charges were filed, the business never admitted any liability, and Philip Kwon was not named in the case. Kwon told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he had not been aware of his mother’s behavior, though they lived together during that time in a $2.3 million home in Closter purchased in 2010.
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