Thread by @kolsaw

Recently was waiting in a Jersey shore pizzeria for a late pickup (as one does; & no, not a hipster coffee shop). Owners/ locals were discussing their knowledge of & connections to Trump, Kushner, Chris Christie, Bridgette Anne Kelley (Christie staffer convicted in #Bridgegate).

Their theme? Amazement that all these people could get away with misconduct (however one defines it). Certainly NYC is where Trump grabbed power, but its seat may well be in NJ. Kushner family are major NJ developers, and like Trump and Christie, have bad reputations.

This is the flip of "very legal and very cool." For instance, years ago when I lived and worked in Atlantic City, I heard many stories about how Trump treated employees poorly & stiffed contractors. Good business man, right? This colored my thinking of him as more than a buffoon.

Let's not forget about Trump's business career of employing undocumented workers, even as he ran for and and served in the presidency as an anti-immigrant hardliner. Here in NJ is where this popped up again (the irony is thick, or rather sick):
washingtonpost.com/politics/my-wh…

Yesterday another of these foul issues played out in NJ. Chris Christie's staffer, Bridgette Anne Kelley, was convicted in the Bridgegate scandal. Essentially she became the fall gal while all the other "guys" got off pretty well.
nj.com/politics/2019/…

To be sure, Bridgegate was a reprehensible, criminal act that deserves punishment. Over the days of lane shutdowns, it is fortunate that no one died because of the traffic. The problem is the political skullduggery that freed those most involved.

Oh, by the way, Bill Stepien, one of Christie's top staffers who was deeply implicated in Bridgegate, went work for Trump's campaign, administration and campaign again. (Hey, you gotta problem wit dat?)
politico.com/story/2017/01/…

At root, those associated w/the Trump admin have long, sordid histories of greed, pettiness, vindictiveness, callousness & corruption. For those aware this type of behavior was expected in office. But such behavior has harmful consequences, from slum lording to fraud to traffic.

Some might not worry about unethical, lawless behavior by politicians they support because they defend their tribe against perceived opponents. War is a continuation of policy “with other means,” and all that. Statesmen they're not, as they seek private gain in public service.