I have to be honest, a trial and (I guess?) jail seem a bit harsh.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Two former aides to Gov. Chris Christie were convicted Friday of creating an epic traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge for what prosecutors say was political revenge, capping a trial that cast doubt on Christie’s claims he knew nothing about the scheme.
(snip)
According to testimony, Christie’s office also used the Port Authority to punish or reward local politicians. Among the goodies the agency dispensed were pieces of steel from the original World Trade Center, destroyed on 9/11.
“These convictions will be an essential defining feature of Christie’s legacy in office, and will forever taint how his administration is perceived and will be remembered,” Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Callahan said. “He is damaged by the narcissistic way in which he was portrayed during the trial, a narrative that was accepted by the jury.”
Yeah, but … the Big Fish is out there making McDonalds runs for Trump.
The defense portrayed Wildstein as a liar and a dirty trickster — “the Bernie Madoff of New Jersey politics” — and argued that Christie and his inner circle had thrown the 44-year-old Kelly under the bus.
“They want that mother of four to take the fall for them. Cowards. Cowards,” Kelly attorney Michael Critchley said in a thundering closing argument.