Back in January, 2014 when the BridgeGate story broke in the mass media, there were many debates here on DailyKos about the possible crimes committed by those lane closures.
Included in my comments were arguments that Civil Rights were violated, specifically, a violation of the Constitutional right to 'free-passage'.
There were at least two people with law degrees who told me I was wrong.
Matter of fact - both these lawyers could not fathom any crime being committed regarding the lane closures of BridgeGate.
One of those attorney's I argued with claimed the GWB lane closures were no more an intrusion on the right to free passage than a toll booth.
For better or worse, U.S. Attorney Fishman says I was correct and those two lawyers who regularly post on DKos were just wrong.
David Wildstein plead Guilty today to the charge of and his two [named] co-conspirators charged with violating (18 USC 241) - Conspiracy Against Rights. Which reads:
Section 241 of Title 18 is the civil rights conspiracy statute. Section 241 makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree together to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in any state, territory or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the Unites States, (or because of his/her having exercised the same).
Two things:
1.) The Conspiracy against rights committed by Wildstein (and alleged against Baroni & Kelly) - prohibiting the Constitutional right to free passage.
As stated in today's Federal Indictment against Baroni & Kelly:
[d]efendant[s] acting under the color of law, knowingly and willfully deprived the residents of Fort Leeof the rights, privileges, and immunities secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States, namely, the right to localized travel on public roadways free from restrictions unrelated to government purposes.
2.) When one of these folks posting on DKos (who happens to have law degree) tells you that you might not understand the law - you might mention that even lawyers may fail to grasp the law.
I'm reminded of a silly joke, "What do you call the person who graduates least-ranked from their medical school class?" Doctor. The same can be said of lawyers.
Now I'm going out on a limb - this matter is far from over.
-- Who in Gov. Christie's office gave Kelly the order to contact Wildstein? This was certainly implied in Kelly's news conference today - someone gave her orders.
-- David Samson's sweetheart flight to his vacation home is yet a new revelation, but he is going to be indicted too.
-- Fulop's name is listed beside Sokolich - was retaliation against him criminal? And how did Wildstein know about Fulop if traffic was not the retaliation against Fulop.
-- Zimmer's claim of extortion is not necessarily a closed matter either.
-- What else has Fishman unearthed either by evidence discovery or testimony?