No One Asks Chris Christie A Key Question

I'll get to that question but first....

I've hesitated in writing anything about the Chris Christie issue. Initially I wanted to give it some time because I thought more information would be forth coming. There's been lots of information but very little from Christie himself.

Now I was raised in New Jersey so I have a little bit of understanding about Christie's bravado and attitude. Many from Jersey act in similar ways. I've been accused of it myself. There are a number of things we recognize in someone from New Jersey. I'll just list a few here. Impatience and a sense of urgency is pretty common in folks from Jersey. We express it in driving, horn blowing, interrupting speakers, finding seats in a theatre or a pew in church. We can be loud without realizing it but sometimes we do realize it and use it to compete with others who are also loud. Quiet people tend to become even more quiet when they see and hear all of this. There is also the gangster, tough guy image that comes from real and imagined life in Jersey.

All of this, when left unchecked, either by buddies or friends in general, can evolve into bullying. It seems to me that Gov. Christie reaches this level on a pretty regular basis. As a matter of fact, it's so regular that he most likely doesn't see it as bullying at all. He most likely thinks he's just being clear and blunt with people. Looking in the mirror isn't always easy when you're such a powerful figure.

So we have this bridge scandal that actually is much bigger then the incident at the George Washington Bridge and lane closures that created some chaos in Fort Lee, NJ. It's bigger because it seems too be connected to other practices of tit for tat treatment of friends and enemies. It all came to light in a very public way and I think the Governor had plenty of opportunity to clear the air, get things straight and move on. In all honesty he probably still has some of that opportunity left.

I've watched the pundits on all of the cable news stations. MSNBC has been a real disappointment in this regard because in their passion over what they and others call Bridgegate, they've become very much like FOX News. Things do seem to be fading somewhat but I think we all know that there's more to come in this affair.

This all leads to the question that I've been waiting for some good, seasoned or hungry journalist to ask. It goes something like this. "Governor at your first news conference you expressed shock and dismay at what had transpired and you indicated that you were going to conduct a complete and thorough investigation of everything that lead up to the events of August and September." Here it comes. "Can you provide us with any of the results of that investigation or if it's not complete, a timeline on when it will be wrapped up as well as what information you will release and to whom?"

I certainly don't know the facts behind any of what went on but I do know that when you say you'll conduct an investigation and when you're a former prosecutor, you have to be prepared to deliver. Unless the Governor thought this whole thing would just go away, he had to realize he'd have to deliver on the investigation promise. On the other hand, since no one has asked, maybe he doesn't. Of course any good investigation would have gotten information from Bridget Kelly before she was fired. Another misstep I suppose.

So when you're in your next meeting or press conference Governor, don't be surprised. Better yet, be prepared when that reporter shouts, "Hey Gov, how's that investigation going? Anything to report?" Anyway, that's the question that ought to be asked and maybe all the other queries would be a bit less important - depending on the answer.

Important Follow Up

On March 23, 2014, the NY Times reported that the internal investigation ordered by Gov. Christie was complete and about to be released. The article also indicated that, although it hasn't been seen or reviewed publicly, it shows no wrong doing by the Governor and in fact clears him of any prior knowledge of the events that led to the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge. As I stated in my original post, there will continue to be much more that comes of this story but I did want to acknowledge this recent development. The NY Times article can be viewed HERE.