Giuliani: Bridgegate a 'witch hunt'
Washington (CNN) - One prominent Republican who isn't concerned about the controversy over the George Washington Bridge scandal is Rudy Giuliani.
The former Republican presidential candidate and New York City mayor dismissed the forthcoming investigation into the flap as a "partisan witch hunt." Charges that the closing of lanes was politically motivated have enveloped New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration - and potentially his presidential ambitions.
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"There are no facts on the table that contradict Gov. Christie," Giuliani told David Gregory on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"Every fact seems to indicate that Gov. Christie is telling the truth," he added.
A series of e-mails and text messages disclosed earlier this month showed senior members of the governor's staff created a traffic jam in Fort Lee, New Jersey, apparently to retaliate against a Democratic mayor who refused to endorse Christie during his re-election campaign. Two top appointees at the Port Authority closed a pair of access lanes from the town to the bridge, causing days of gridlock. The scandal has already caused multiple resignations and prompted Christie to fire his deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly.
In both a press conference and his state of the state address, Christie denied any knowledge of the scheme and told reporters staff members lied to him about their involvement in the gridlock.
Giuliani took direct aim Sunday at the lawmaker set to lead the investigation of the scandal, John Wisniewski, calling for the state assemblyman to step down as head of the inquest. The former mayor said Wisniewski has already contaminated the inquiry by announcing, up front, he does not believe Christie.
"He's no longer an impartial arbiter of the facts," Giuliani said. "He should not be handling this investigation."
Giuliani said he has no reason to doubt Christie, and any attack on the Governor is a partisan maneuver by Democrats fearful the New Jersey boss could win the White House in 2016.
"This is a very, very well orchestrated Democratic, kind of, organization effort to hurt Gov. Christie, who after all was the only Republican beating Hillary Clinton in any poll," Giuliani said.
Also appearing on "Meet the Press," Wisniewski swatted at any insinuation his investigation stems from political motivations.
"This is not preordained and we have no connection to Gov. Christie," Wisniewski said of the investigation.
Wisniewski said he found it hard to believe that the governor, in the middle of an election cycle, did not know it if members of his staff were busy plotting petty vengeance. But he said the legislative investigation remains focused on following the trail and finding out who else, if anyone, in his office knew about the plot. The Democratic assemblyman scoffed at any talk of impeachment as premature and reiterated that nothing currently connects the governor to the scandal.
"There's no connection that he knew or that he directed it," Wisniewski said.
Wisniewski, formerly the chair of the state's Democratic Party, pointed to the origins of the initial reports that the snarl in Fort Lee was more than just an unfortunate traffic jam as evidence the investigation is not partisan.
"This story, interestingly enough, didn't start with Democrats. It started with The Wall Street Journal, hardly a liberal paper," Wisniewski said.
State Democrats dismissed Giuliani's attack on Wisniewski as overblown rhetoric. In a statement, a spokesman for Assembly Democrats labeled Giuliani as an "uninformed critic" while citing Wisniewski's bipartisan dealings, which have earned him praise from his Republican colleagues.
"Rudy Giuliani quite simply has no idea what he's talking about,” spokesman Tom Hester Jr. said.
Giuliani, the one-time 2008 Republican primary favorite, also said that Christie's performance should embolden his colleagues to rally behind the executive. Giuliani presented Christie's actions as a benchmark for conduct in the wake of a scandal.
"He's given a textbook case in how to handle it, stand up, answer the questions, hold people accountable," Giuliani said.
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Let the witch hunt commence!!!
"There's no connection that he knew or that he directed it," Wisniewski said.
Wisniewski, formerly the chair of the state's Democratic Party...
The only lines anyone needs to read about these stories. Giuliani is absolutely correct at this point, they have zero evidence Christie had anything to do with it.
On one hand Mr. 9/11 is right- and he would know. However, there is crime, there is evidence, there are victims, and a pile of poor judgement. The real problem is that Republicans are so used to their fantasy world echo chamber that when a real scandal with real wrongdoing appears, they assume it must be a fake, and something they can just slough it off as a partisan attack. All I can say is we'll see. It won't be long to find out.
Ha, With all the emails pointing directly to Christies office and Christies PA appointees, I don't think its a witch hunt.
This man had rather climb a tree than stand on the ground and tell the truth. After the way he treated the firefighters and police after 911 I have no use for this man.
Funny how Rudy is not admitting that Issa is still on the Bengazhi Witch Hunt.
He does not know the facts so he stay out of it.
Democratic witch hunt? It happened Rudy..... If this is a witchuhunt, so is Hillary and Benghazi.
If you throw out the e mails, the cell phones, the hard drives, all correspondence, and the governors history of doing things to punish those who do not support him, then you have a witch hunt. What Rudy G, no 9-11 references?
Giuliani " . . . has no idea what he is talking about . . ." Pretty much sums up Rudy's life.
Who is Guliani to comment on this and why do his views matter to anyone? Is he commenting as a biased personal buddy of Christie or as a failed Republican candidate? What is he getting from CC in return for this show of support?
Democrats are on a bridge to nowhere on this one...
Two years of Faux News Benghazi Investigations and still nothing, now that's a witch hunt.
Just what the Dr. ordered. Lack of insight from a zealot. Let the far right be less heard from in the future and maybe. just maybe the republican party can retrieve some of the glory it once had. Just keep a lid on the extremist for a while. The constant illiterate rant from these idiots is getting to be more irritating everyday.
Hey Rudy if it`s a witch hunt why are Christie aids taking the fifth ?
" There where no terrorists attacks under GWB." Yeah, No one believes you Rudy. You are the phoniest politician out there.
OBVIOUSLY neither is an elementary school in Connecticut.
Not a witch hunt........just a totally political attack to try and bring Christie down in the polls, because he was beating Hillary.
They will continue to do that........right on through next year, to prevent him from regaining any momentum. That's just the usual dirty politics of the Democrats.
I don't think "witch hunt" is quite right, it's really more of a whaling expedition.
aahhh rudy rudy rudy, wasnt you the one perking up the benghazi fake scandal for 2 years. when did you got rational. tell fox to hire a dem host for crying out loud and stop talking out unrational stuff
Hypocrite!!!! If he had been the mayor and the gov a Democrat, he would be raising heck and demanding a Congressional inquiry.
No Rudy, family values cheater and thrice married, the witch was Christine from DE.
This coming from the man made "famous" by 9/11 who went on to later say we were never attacked under the shrub's 43 administration!
Go away.
It is a "witch hunt" only when the opposing party investigates wrong doing.
So Christie FIRED people because of a witch hunt? Really?!?!
Is this a real issue, next to the corruption that is our government? Benghazi...Obamacare...oh wait, that's it..it's a distraction from the apocalyptic failure that is Obamacare...yeah – the propaganda machine doesn't disappoint.