The Note: Keeping An Eye On Chris Christie
— -- NOTABLES
--CHRISTIE POLITICAL ALLY TO PLEAD GUILTY IN BRIDGE PROBE: A key figure in the corruption scandal that threatens New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's political career is poised to plead guilty in federal court today, sources told ABC's JOSH MARGOLIN. Word of David Wildstein's expected guilty plea was confirmed this morning by officials familiar with the situation, sources said. The plea of the former Port Authority executive and one-time political blogger, who went to high school with Christie, would mark a dramatic step in the saga swirling around Christie. The corruption probe that started with unannounced closings of access lanes at the George Washington Bridge in 2013 has, according to some, all but hobbled Christie as he seeks the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. http://abcn.ws/1OLu1zn
--CHRISTIE HIMSELF WAS INTERROGATED FOR MORE THAN SEVEN HOURS by federal investigators probing the bridge scandal. He has denied having any role in the lane closings and has repeatedly said he did nothing wrong. Last year, the governor told ABC's DIANE SAWYER he didn't even "inspire" his aides and loyalists to shut down lanes to the world's busiest bridge. "This is not something that I think I inspired, and to the extent that any of them thought that this was acceptable conduct, then I fell short," Christie said at the time. http://abcn.ws/1OLu1zn
--ANALYSIS -- ABC's RICK KLEIN: This is quite obviously a bad day for the presidential prospects of Gov. Chris Christie, with a former ally pleading guilty and other legal charges against associates pending. But, given the vast damage to Christie's reputation as the bridge-closing story metastasized from a traffic study to something far more nefarious, it's worth remembering that this could be far worse. At first, questions swirled of who else did what; little to no evidence has emerged over the past year of additional knowledge of or participation by Christie himself or other aides in the closing of traffic lanes feeding the George Washington Bridge. From a 2016 perspective, it's possible that with this round of legal maneuvering, the political damage is complete. Christie will be doing his town-hall thing in New Hampshire next week, with the legal end of "Bridgegate" finally in the rear-view mirror, or so it would seem. John McCain comparisons may not be entirely apt. But New Hampshire does love a comeback tale.
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