The only contemporary writer who regularly uses the term “condign justice” is George Will, who uses it frequently. “Condign” is usually paired with “justice” or “punishment,” and means “well-earned,” “appropriate,” or “deserved.”
Donald Trump screwed over New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who foolishly believed that his cynical endorsement of Trump could buy him a Vice-Presidential slot on a Trump ticket. Christie probably didn’t have a direct quid pro quo deal with Trump; he’s a good enough lawyer to know that this would have been illegal. He probably thought he had an “understanding.” How he could not have had an understanding that he was re-enacting the fable of the frog and the scorpion with him playing the role of the amphibian is a mystery. Trump is untrustworthy. Trump is a con man. Doesn’t everyone know that? We know Christie knows that, because he has said so.
Make no mistake: if and when Donald Trump takes the Oath of Office at the Capitol, Chris Christie will be one of the primary figures accountable for that national disaster. (I am beginning to think #1 will be the Democratic Party and its followers, who could not do a better job of making Trump look like the safer of two risky alternatives if they tried.) When the governor made his endorsement, Ethics Alarms awarded him its rarely given Ethics Villain designation. As the one candidate who could match Trump’s bluntness and audacity without the overwhelming stench of ignorance, Christie was the Republican challenger with the skills and credentials to take Trump out. Instead, he avoided direct confrontation with Trump in the debates and instead symbolically disemboweled Trump’s other most dangerous opponent, Marco Rubio. Then Christie dropped out, and conferred legitimacy on the blowhard by becoming the first non-wacko holding an important elected position to endorse him.
Uck, yechh, blech, gag.
Now Trump has chosen The Man From Glad, Indiana Governor and homophobe Mike Pence, as his VP. Pence. like Trump, is Christie’s inferior in every way, and the insult could not be more stinging if Trump had chosen Pee Wee Herman.
The New York Times today catalogued all the misfortunes that befell Christie last week:
I. One of his closest confidants pleaded guilty to a felony charge of abusing power at the agency that Christie had appointed him to lead.
2. Federal prosecutors charged a former cabinet official in connection with the same case, arising out of the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal.
3. He was passed over by Trump, and
4. A storm knocked down a tree and power line outside of Christie’s home, starting a fire beside it.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Chris Christie, a man with the leadership skills and intellect to be an effective President, sold out his party, his nation and his fellow citizens for naked ambition. He is a disgrace to his profession, and deserves to be condemned by posterity to the special hall of shame reserved for ethically corrupt public servants, who discard their assumed duty of service to others for self-serving schemes.
Condign justice is his.
Ethics Alarms 
Jack as you already know, you and I agree 100% on this subject.
Christie was my #1 choice over all the other primary candidates when the primary began; Christie failed me and every other Conservative in the United States of America!
If Christie had taken on all of his Primary competitors in an equal manner, including Trump, I firmly believe that he would be the Republican nominee right now and the Democratic party wouldn’t have a chance in hell at winning the White House in November.
Well, running against Clinton would certainly make his corruption problem look trivial.
This morning the Communist News Network, aka #CNN ran a totally unsourced story claiming that Trump, in the middle of the night, tried to in-hook from Pence. There was absolutely no proof this happened, and is equal to your unsourced story about Christie/Trump and the VP slot. That’s really a sad way to make both men look bad, and substantiate your own prejudices. Now I don’t like any of the above politicians, but wouldn’t stoop to concocting fairy stories to support them. Sad.
Hmmm…let’s see. What could be the problem with this comparison? Could it be that CNN is a news source, and Ethics Alarms is an ethics commentary and analysis blog?
Everyone, and I mean everyone, has recognized that Christie, knowing he’s toast in NJ, deliberately accepted a certain reduction in already falling support in his state the hope of being VP (or, some say, AG.). He allowed Trump to humiliate him by using him as a prop, contradicted his own words—why, do you think? There are no other theories, you know. Then, he made it clear after Pence was chosen that he was angry. CNN needs a source. I don’t. I’m presenting my analysis of what I see, based on an extensive knowledge of history, politics and the character of leaders.
I thought AG, or SCOTUS, as an extreme oulier of a possibility. I always though VP was an even more unlikely prospect, although CC didn’t seem to think so, and now that he’s thrown a mini-tantrum, I don’t know if there’s a place in Trump’s Washington at all for him. Trump doesn’t reward tantrums.
That would be ultimately to CC’s benefit. He’ll end up in a better circle in Hell.
I’m not sure he realizes that… yet.
Well it’s over now. Mike Pence has got the VP slot and that’s probably a good thing. He’s certainly a better choice than Elizabeth Warren, the faux indian. I’m sure Christy will get some sort of consolation prize like Attorney General if Thump wins.
And people who talk at the theater.
How could you miss the obvious joke?
A few typos there. Sorry. Fixed.
Typos happen. Missing a chance to use the special hell joke, that kind of thing stays with a person.
There’s always room for a Firefly reference in my book. I will endeavor to use one by the end of the day.
Not me. Instead of going with the flow, I aim to misbehave.
Listen, you don’t know me, son, so I’m gonna say this once: if I ever kill you, you’ll be awake, you’ll be facing me, and you’ll be armed.
You do know there’s a post here about that exact quote, and how it got a professor in PC trouble, right?
I forgot about that!
Well if Christy deserves “a special hell”, you know where I think Hillary should go: Right in there with Judas, Nero, and a few select others!
Are you accusing Secretary Clinton of talking at the theater? Them’s fightin’ words.
I’ve always said this blog needs more Firefly references. Well, I haven’t, but I’m going to now.
Here here!
“He is a disgrace to his profession, and deserves to be condemned by posterity to the special hall of shame reserved for ethically corrupt public servants, who discard their assumed duty of service to others for self-serving schemes.”
Would there be any room left in the special hall of shame if all the legions of public servants that have hitched their star to the Clintons were in their places there?
I see your point, Jack, but this article smacks of gloating, which is a bit beneath you, and may, I say MAY be premature. CC might well become Trump’s AG, and then what?
When bad things happen to people who do bad things, many people learn the lesson that its bad to do bad things. I am always joyful when this lesson plays out large. People need to learn that lesson.
Chris wanted to be King, not Counselor. He’d be a good AG, but its the end of his political career.
I’m not happy about this series of events at all. Gloating would be “Ha Ha!” This is “serves you right, you son of a bitch.”
I’d bet against it the way I’d have bet against VP and why I don’t understand why Cristie ever thought he was in the running.
US attorney Cristie put Charles Kushner in jail*, Charles’ son Jared is both half-way running Trump’s campaign and all-the-way married to Ivanka Trump. Ivanka in her own right is one of Trump’s senior advisers. Jared hates Cristie, Ivanka isn’t going to stand up for the man who jailed her father-in-law if only because it could lead to martial trouble. She’s human after all.
Trump would be looking at very awkward thanksgiving dinners for the rest of his life if he gives Cristie anything other than what his new logo is giving the letter P. Given Christie has his own alleged history of retaliation there’s no excuse for him not knowing better.
Let’s just hope we don’t get saddled with attorney general Nancy Grace when our new reality TV overlords take over.
*http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/05/nyregion/democratic-donor-receives-twoyear-prison-sentence.html
Criminy. How are all these well to do, connected kids marrying into criminal families. How about Chelsea Clinton marrying the son of a convicted fraudster? Weird.
The rich are different from you and I.