Jan 08, 2014
These new revelations follow months of claims by the Christie administration that the September closures of local access lanes on the George Washington Bridge to the town of Fort Lee, NJ were part of a traffic study initiated by the Port Authority and not related to his office.
But as the Record reports, new evidence shows that one of his top staff members may have been deeply and directly involved:
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly, one of three deputies on Christie's senior staff, wrote to David Wildstein, a top Christie executive at the Port Authority, on Aug. 13, about three weeks before the closures. Wildstein, the official who ordered the closures and who resigned last month amid the escalating scandal, wrote back: "Got it."
The emails were dated shortly after Fort Lee's mayor, Democrat Mark Sokolich, had declined to endorse Christie's reelection bid. According to the report, the documents "don't spell out the precise reason for the apparent retribution" though they are "replete with references and insults to Fort Lee's mayor."
The Record continues:
Other top Christie associates mentioned in or copied on the email chain, all after the top New York appointee at the authority ordered the lanes reopened, include David Samson, the chairman of the agency; Bill Stepien, Christie's re-election campaign manager and the newly appointed state GOP chairman; and Michael Drewniak, Christie's spokesman.
Christie has previously said that no one in his staff or campaign was involved in the lane closings, and he has dismissed questions about political retribution by joking that he moved the traffic cones himself.
The emails were provided by Wildstein in response to a state assembly subpoena and he has been called to testify about the documents under oath before the panel on Thursday of this week.
Following the release, a furor of media speculation ensued as to the damage this scandal may pose to the lawmaker, who has emerged as a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president in 2016.
As New York Magazine columnist Jonathan Chait tweeted after the news broke:
\u201cChris Christie's 2016 campaign is dead https://t.co/n8A2U9tewv\u201d— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1389198215
_____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
These new revelations follow months of claims by the Christie administration that the September closures of local access lanes on the George Washington Bridge to the town of Fort Lee, NJ were part of a traffic study initiated by the Port Authority and not related to his office.
But as the Record reports, new evidence shows that one of his top staff members may have been deeply and directly involved:
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly, one of three deputies on Christie's senior staff, wrote to David Wildstein, a top Christie executive at the Port Authority, on Aug. 13, about three weeks before the closures. Wildstein, the official who ordered the closures and who resigned last month amid the escalating scandal, wrote back: "Got it."
The emails were dated shortly after Fort Lee's mayor, Democrat Mark Sokolich, had declined to endorse Christie's reelection bid. According to the report, the documents "don't spell out the precise reason for the apparent retribution" though they are "replete with references and insults to Fort Lee's mayor."
The Record continues:
Other top Christie associates mentioned in or copied on the email chain, all after the top New York appointee at the authority ordered the lanes reopened, include David Samson, the chairman of the agency; Bill Stepien, Christie's re-election campaign manager and the newly appointed state GOP chairman; and Michael Drewniak, Christie's spokesman.
Christie has previously said that no one in his staff or campaign was involved in the lane closings, and he has dismissed questions about political retribution by joking that he moved the traffic cones himself.
The emails were provided by Wildstein in response to a state assembly subpoena and he has been called to testify about the documents under oath before the panel on Thursday of this week.
Following the release, a furor of media speculation ensued as to the damage this scandal may pose to the lawmaker, who has emerged as a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president in 2016.
As New York Magazine columnist Jonathan Chait tweeted after the news broke:
\u201cChris Christie's 2016 campaign is dead https://t.co/n8A2U9tewv\u201d— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1389198215
_____________________
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
These new revelations follow months of claims by the Christie administration that the September closures of local access lanes on the George Washington Bridge to the town of Fort Lee, NJ were part of a traffic study initiated by the Port Authority and not related to his office.
But as the Record reports, new evidence shows that one of his top staff members may have been deeply and directly involved:
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly, one of three deputies on Christie's senior staff, wrote to David Wildstein, a top Christie executive at the Port Authority, on Aug. 13, about three weeks before the closures. Wildstein, the official who ordered the closures and who resigned last month amid the escalating scandal, wrote back: "Got it."
The emails were dated shortly after Fort Lee's mayor, Democrat Mark Sokolich, had declined to endorse Christie's reelection bid. According to the report, the documents "don't spell out the precise reason for the apparent retribution" though they are "replete with references and insults to Fort Lee's mayor."
The Record continues:
Other top Christie associates mentioned in or copied on the email chain, all after the top New York appointee at the authority ordered the lanes reopened, include David Samson, the chairman of the agency; Bill Stepien, Christie's re-election campaign manager and the newly appointed state GOP chairman; and Michael Drewniak, Christie's spokesman.
Christie has previously said that no one in his staff or campaign was involved in the lane closings, and he has dismissed questions about political retribution by joking that he moved the traffic cones himself.
The emails were provided by Wildstein in response to a state assembly subpoena and he has been called to testify about the documents under oath before the panel on Thursday of this week.
Following the release, a furor of media speculation ensued as to the damage this scandal may pose to the lawmaker, who has emerged as a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president in 2016.
As New York Magazine columnist Jonathan Chait tweeted after the news broke:
\u201cChris Christie's 2016 campaign is dead https://t.co/n8A2U9tewv\u201d— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1389198215
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.