Spark in The Dark

It sure was dark last night.  So dark.  The lights were out on U-Stream.

But not for a horse we'd still all be in the dark today.

Amidst an unexplained padlocking of the City Hall IT office and the absence of videographer Patrick Ricciardi, a cloud of mystery envelopes the dark curtain around the servers maintained by Mr. Ricciardi.  Which include email servers.

Far be it for GA to spread rumors at a time like this (as opposed to a time like that) but whispers about an investigation into the leak of confidential City Hall SWAT settlement negotiations to Hoboken411 coincident to possible payments made to certain parties through an un-named third party add up to a kettle of fish.

Or a cooked goose.

What GA can say is that certain friends of Councilwoman Beth Mason are feeling the heat. Because our intrepid horse reported a fascinating revelation made in the City Council chamber by Mason friend, Lane Bajardi. 

Riled by a series of questions Da Horsey directed to Mason earlier that night asking for:

"...all the text messages, emails between Beth Mason and her friend Lane Bajardi limited to the resulting stories on Hoboken411?"

...Bajardi, in a fit of pique, requested permission from Mason to speak at the end  of the public potion.   

Permission granted.  Mason may regret that today.  Because the King of Libelous Invective Against Others ended his tirade this way:

"I'd  like to ask Councilwoman Mason,  at any time, have you paid me for my friendship?

Mason replied, "No."

WOW.

Bajardi, in all his conviction that he's the smartest-guy-in-the-room, unwittingly CONFESSED to being paid by Beth Mason.  That's right.

He asked if she paid for his "friendship".   

But he ONLY asked about friendship.   Which omitted all the services we know he provides for Mason, left them hanging in the air: political operative, Hoboken411  ghostwriter, political strategist, campaign strategist-  their exclusion so painfully deliberate it was an admission of guilt.

For Bajardi to go up there at all tells me the pressure is getting to him. Because in a series of exclusives, GA has uncovered Mason shell companies which exist for no other purpose than hiding the flow of her cash, ostensibly to full-time political operatives like Bajardi who never  appear on her ELECs.

The reason Mason won't own up to OWNING Bajardi means maintaining plausible deniability about the activities of Hoboken411. So Beth publicly disowns Bajardi and Klaussen (he's not on her ELECs either in spite of 24/7 advertising).  Which feeds her confidence that she won't be tied leaking City business to Hoboken411.

Hmmm...

Methinks if Ricciardi gets squeezed, he'll sing like a bird. And the Mason House of Cards will come tumbling down. With Bajardi and Klaussen in it.

Yes, Bajardi's nervous. Otherwise he wouldn't have tried to convince us he's not getting paid--  and in the process, convinced us he IS getting paid.

Now, watch THIS commanding performance which has earned Da Horsey a dozen long-stemmed carrots from me.