Trump Changes Campaign Managers Weeks Before the Election

15 weeks before the 2020 election, Donald Trump demoted Brad Parscale, the campaign manager who won him the 2016 election, and replaced him with former Chris Christie campaign operative Bill Stepien, an unindicted Bridgegate conspirator. Brad Parscale was blamed for the poor turnout at the Tulsa Trump rally and the president’s two-digit tumble in the polls, and was essentially sent down to run the campaign’s Tech Support office.

More:

“Bridgegate triggered Bill Stepien’s fall from grace. Now he’s running Trump’s campaign,” Charles Stile and Dustin Racioppi, NorthJersey.com

“Bill Stepien: aide humbled over ‘Bridgegate’ takes charge for Trump,” Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian

“Bill Stepien Takes Helm of Trump Campaign as a Data-Obsessed Political Fighter,” Nick Corasaniti and Stephanie Saul, New York Times

“Trump’s campaign team tries to steady operation after messy shakeup,” Alex Isenstadt, Politico

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Bridgegate Conspirators on Off-Ramp to Prison

Two former allies of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie convicted in the Bridgegate caper were sentenced by Newark Federal Court Judge Susan Wigenton on Wednesday. Former Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly will spend 18 months behind bars, and former Port Authority executive Bill Baroni will reside in prison for two years. The two Republicans will remain free on bail while they appeal their convictions. Donald Trump’s sister Maryanne is a New Jersey Federal Appeals Court judge, but she won’t be hearing the case.

In September 2013 members of the Christie Administration and Christie-appointed members of the New York Port Authority decided to punish Mayor Mark J. Sokolich of Fort Lee, a Democrat, for not supporting the governor’s re-election bid. They had George Washington Bridge access lanes in Fort Lee blocked, causing five days of massive traffic jams. Political fallout from this emerged in time to tank Christie’s presidential campaign and then push him out of the Trump transition team.

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Chris Christie: Unindicted Co-Conspirator?

With the conviction of two former aides in the “Bridgegate” trial last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been cast in an “unflattering light,” to quote the Wall Street Journal. The governor denies prior knowledge of the politically motivated plan that tied up traffic on the George Washington Bridge for four days, but the conviction of his former aides validates the existence of a conspiracy, and another aide took a plea deal. Gov. Christie cancelled weekend campaign appearances with GOP candidate Donald Trump after the verdict.

Governor Christie now heads President-elect Trump’s transition team. Maybe he’ll be named Secretary of Transportation since he knows so much about bridges, buses, highways, rail transit, and tunnels.

More:

“After the Bridgegate Verdict, Chris Christie Comes Off As the Guiltiest of All,” Andrew Rice, New York Magazine

“Reminder: Trump Believes Own Transition Chairman Was Involved in Bridgegate, Which Is Now Officially a Felony Conspiracy,” Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate

Update:

“Pence Replaces Christie as Head of Trump Transition Team,” Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg Politics

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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