You know that you've failed when a Republican like Joseph Scarborough, host of the MSNBC show Morning Joe, says on his program that Randy Mastro, the so-called "independent" lawyer investigating Gov. Christie's bridge-closing scandal, sounded like Baghdad Bob at his press conference Thursday, and the political writer, Al Hunt -- also on the show -- said Mastro could have served as "Putin's lawyer."
What will Christie do for his follow-up? One thing is for clear -- the woman in the George Washington Bridge scandal, Bridget Kelly, the sender of the traffic tie-up demand, is now in the crosshairs of the Mastro-led counterattack.
Mastro's report, indeed, made a point of informing the public that Kelly had had an affair with another figure in the imbroglio, and suggested that this tryst, where Kelly was supposedly jilted, may have led her to send the incriminating email about shutting down the traffic lanes in Fort Lee. Not that that makes any sense. However, it looks like Mastro (on behalf of Christie) is going to make Kelly the "fall-guy" for the transgressive acts attributed to the Christie Administration.
In the meantime, Kelly answered Mastro on Friday by having her lawyer issue a statement that she is ready to tell the truth about who was behind the bridge closing -- if she can get immunity from prosecution. But clearly Mastro has already figured out his comeback, by blaming everything on Kelly's upset emotional state. Sexist this may be, but the Christie consigliere, abetted by his hard-nosed politics he learned under former New York City Mayor Giuliani, think this is a winning strategy. Heh, maybe it will be as successful as his 200-page report that "exonerated" his client, Mr. Christie!