Christie expected to name Lautenberg successor

[sofa king]

5. He's a sly one, that Christie.

The Godfather just got his Tom Hagen lifetime floor access to the Senate.

Before he was New Jersey's AG, Jeff Chiesa was Chief Counsel to the Governor. From now on, the Governor has direct floor access to the Senate. So long as Chiesa does not become a registered lobbyist, he has floor access for life, and he is forever in debt to the Governor for that... because of the implication.

That's going to instantly make Governor Christie one of the most important Governors in the nation, in no small part because he will be privy to privately-generated information unique to himself and the presumed Senator. It will put him in the front-running for the Chair of the National Governor's Association next year, which in turn will put him on any list of top Republican contenders for the nomination in 2016.