NJ Governor Chris Christie denied knowing anything about the closure of critical Fort Lee lanes to the George Washington Bridge, plunging the NJ town into nearly a week of gridlock. But given one of his deputy chiefs of staff emailed a Port Authority executive, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," and his reelection campaign manager was also aware, many think Christie had to know something.
NJ Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democrat, told NBC News, "It's hard to really accept the governor's statement that he knew nothing until the other morning." Wisniewski, who heads the Assembly's transportation committee and has been investigating the matter since last year, added, "Using the George Washington Bridge, a public resource, to exact a political vendetta, is a crime. Having people use their official position to have a political game is a crime. So if those tie back to the governor in any way, it clearly becomes an impeachable offense."
During his nearly two-hour public apology, Christie claimed that when media and NJ lawmakers questioned him about the lane closures, he questioned his staff. His staff said nothing, which led Christie to joke about the matter. But then, last Wednesday, incriminating emails were released, revealing that Bridget Anne Kelly, his "Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs," ordered Port Authority executive David Wildestein (appointed by Christie and also a high school classmate of Christie's) to shut down two of three lanes, apparently under the guise of a traffic study that even the Fort Lee police didn't learn about until the day of the closures.
Wildstein and his boss, Christie appointee Bill Baroni, resigned in December while Christie fired Kelly last week. The governor also cut ties with Bill Stepien, his campaign manager and his choice to lead the NJ Republican Party; Stepien had emailed with Wildstein, calling the mayor of Fort Lee an "idiot."
Christie and Bridget Kelly last fall (NJ Governor's Office)
Further, Wisniewski said, "These people travel with him, these people discuss things with him every single day. This is not an isolated, unknown story. ... He knew there was an investigation. He knew people were looking at it, and his senior staff was involved (and) he expects us to believe he knew nothing? I just find that implausible." He wants to subpoenas all of Christie's top aides and all their private and public email and text messages.
"If you know anything about New Jersey statehouse politics, this is a governor—all of our governors quite frankly—are governors who really tightly manage that operation," he explained to NBC News. "There are no freelancers or independent operations there. And so it strains credibility to believe that the governor knew nothing."
Beloved former NJ governor Tom Kean, who was Christie's mentor, has also been critical of Bridgegate. Kean said to the Washington Post, "On the one hand, I think he’s got a lot to offer. I think he’s the most able politician since Bill Clinton. On the other hand, you look at these other qualities and ask, do you really want that in your president?” Of course, Kean has a personal agenda with Christie too. From the WaPo:
He also said that Christie's approach to governing is overly aggressive and his agenda is personal.
Kean's own breach with his onetime protege occurred last year, when Christie attempted to unseat Kean's son, Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R), as state Senate minority leader. Christie’s power play failed — in one of the few times he has not gotten his way with his party in the legislature.
Kean said the aggressiveness that Christie had shown toward his son, who was feuding with a Christie ally, was typical: “If you come at him, he’s going to come back at you harder.”
Christie took pains to claim that his administration is kumbaya and that he's not a bully, but many of his targets disagreed. Further, the Star-Ledger points out that released emails show "Christie’s longtime press secretary Michael Drewniak routinely channels his boss’s invective" For instance, Drewniak said of a reporter, ""(Expletive) him and the (Star-Ledger)," and referred to another reporter as a "a (expletive) mutt."
Brigid Harrison, a professor of political science and law at Montclair State University, told the Star-Ledger, "It is not too much of a logical leap to connect the rhetoric that the governor has used with the tone of public servants in his administration, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the disdain that is evident in these documents comes from the top down."
