Chris Christie's Bridge Scandal, Explained

[thoughtone]

source: Mother Jones

New emails suggest a senior aide to Christie—a 2016 presidential contender—ordered a nasty traffic jam in Fort Lee as political payback.

This article is being updated as news breaks. Click here for the latest.

Internal emails released Wednesday strongly suggest that a top aide to New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie orchestrated massive traffic problems in Fort Lee, New Jersey, last fall as an act of political retribution against the city's Democratic mayor. For months, Christie and his administration have denied allegations that road closures in Fort Lee were politically motivated. The emails, released as part of an investigation by Democratic state legislators, could spiral into a major political scandal for Christie, a possible 2016 presidential candidate. Here's what you need to know.

How'd this begin? In mid-September, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unexpectedly closed two access lanes on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River and serves as a major commuter route between the two states. A massive, weeklong traffic jam ensued, clogging the streets of nearby Fort Lee.

Cops and lawmakers in Fort Lee said they were given no warning about the decision to close the lanes, which delayed school buses, first responders, and commuters bound for New York City. The Port Authority justified its decision by saying it was conducting a "traffic study."
Why is this political? Soon after the traffic jam, rumors emerged that the Port Authority closed the bridge lanes as political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat who endorsed Gov. Chris Christie's opponent in the 2013 gubernatorial campaign. As news outlets and New Jersey Democrats dug deeper into the circumstances of the bridge incident, they eventually connected the lane closures to two Port Authority officials with close ties to Christie: Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the agency, and David Wildstein, its director of interstate capital projects. Baroni and Wildstein have since resigned, and both men have retained criminal defense attorneys.

All along, the Christie administration had denied any connection to the decision to close the bridge lanes. In September, a Christie spokesman called the retribution claim "crazy." Christie told reporters at a December press conference that the Fort Lee traffic snarl was "absolutely, unequivocally not" a result of political score-settling.

What's new today? In response to a subpoena, Wildstein provided a bevy of emails sent by Christie's staff to a panel of state lawmakers investigating the road closures. The messages fly in the face of many of the claims Christie has made about the lane closures. Wildstein will testify about the documents before that panel on Thursday.

The messages, traded between several members of Christie's senior staff, his campaign manager, and his deputy chief of staff, were sent mostly from staffers' private accounts and did not loop in Christie. They strongly suggest that members of Christie's inner circle planned the lane closures as political retaliation against Sokolich. Other top Christie associates included in the email chain after the lanes were reopened include David Samson, the chairman of the Port Authority, and Michael Drewniak, Christie's spokesman. The emails contradict repeated statements by Christie that neither his staff nor anyone from his campaign was involved with the lane closures.

The messages also lay bare Christie's staff's gleeful anticipation of Fort Lee's traffic debacle. On the day of the lane closures and in the aftermath, Christie's top aids privately traded jabs at Fort Lee's mayor and mocked the town's residents as they struggled to deal with the traffic.

What are the highlights? "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly, a top Christie aide, wrote in an email to Wildstein. "Got it," Wildstein replied.
One text message sent to Wildstein on the day of the lane closures referenced mass school bus delays. "Is it wrong that I'm smiling?" the message read.

"No," Wildstein wrote.

"I feel badly about the kids. I guess," the person, who is unidentified, texted back.

Wildstein replied, "They are the children of Buono voters." Barbara Buono was the Democratic challenger to Christie who lost handily to the governor last November.

Numerous messages mock Fort Lee's mayor as he scrambled to learn the reason behind the closures from the Port Authority and spoke publicly about the closures in the aftermath. In one email sent the day of the closures, Wildstein assures Kelly that the Port Authority was responding to Sokolich with "Radio silence."

As Sokolich began speaking to press after the closures, Bill Sepien, Christie's campaign manager wrote, "The mayor is an idiot."

"It will be a tough November for this little Serbian," Wildstein wrote to Sepien, apparently referencing Sokolich's nationality. Elsewhere in the documents, Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the Port Authority, refers to Sokolich as "Serbian." Sokolich is Croatian.

UPDATE 1: On Wednesday, Gov. Chris Christie released this statement:

"What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions."
​

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.),* the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, replied to Christie's statement, saying, "These revelations are troubling for any public official, but they also indicate what we’ve come to expect from Governor Christie—when people oppose him, he exacts retribution…And when anyone dares to look into his Administration, he bullies and attacks." (Return to the top.)

UPDATE 2: The Christie administration's decision to create a massive traffic jam by closing two access lanes to the George Washington Bridge resulted in delayed response times for local emergency responders in four different emergencies, according to Fort Lee's EMS chief.

In one case, the Bergen Record reports, the traffic jam slowed down paramedics as they tried to reach an unconscious 91-year-old woman. The woman later died in the hospital, though EMS officials say her death was not a direct result of the delays. In another case, it took paramedics seven to nine minutes—double the normal time—to reach a car accident where four people sustained injuries. Read more about the delays here. (Return to the top.)

UPDATE 3, Thursday, Jan. 9, 10:42 a.m. EST: The US attorney for New Jersey will open an inquiry into the bridge scandal, the New York Times reports.

UPDATE 4, Thursday, Jan. 9, 11:27 a.m. EST: In a press conference, Christie announced that he fired his deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, for her involvement in planning the Fort Lee lane closures. He also said that he has instructed his longtime campaign manager Bill Stepien, who Christie says withheld details of the bridge scandal from him, to withdraw his name from consideration for chair of the New Jersey Republican Party. "I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team," he said. Read more.

UPDATE 5, Thursday, Jan. 9, 11:47 a.m. EST: A judge has ruled that David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official who ordered the lane closures and whose emails and text messages were released on Wednesday, must comply with a subpoena to testify before a panel of state lawmakers investigating the bridge scandal, NorthJersey.com reports.

On Wednesday, Wildstein filed a lawsuit to quash the legislators' subpoena for his testimony. Before his lawsuit, Wildstein was scheduled to testify at noon on Thursday. Return to the top

UPDATE 6, Thursday, Jan. 9, 1:05 p.m. EST: Ex-Christie aide David Wildstein is currently testifying before the New Jersey Assembly's transportation, public works, and independent authorities committee on the lane closures. Watch it live here.

UPDATE 7, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2:30 p.m. EST: The New Jersey Assembly's transportation, public works, and independent authorities committee voted to hold David Wildstein, an ex-Christie appointee at the center of the George Washington Bridge scandal, in contempt for refusing to answer any questions about his role in the scandal. On the advice of his attorney, Wildstein invoked the Fifth Amendment in response to all questions by state lawmakers. The committee's contempt vote is a misdemeanor violation in New Jersey.

Wildstein's attorney disputed the committee's contempt vote, saying his client had cooperated by providing emails and text messages. Wildstein's attorney said his client would be far more forthcoming if given immunity by prosecutors investigating the lane closures. Wildstein remains under subpoena by the transportation committee.

UPDATE 8, Friday, Jan. 10, 2:30 p.m. EST: Kevin Drum considers an alternate theory about the Christie administration's motives for creating the traffic jam.

UPDATE 9, Friday, Jan. 10, 4:27 p.m. EST: Andy Kroll and David Corn report on a key question left unanswered in the first batch of emails and text messages released this week: Did other aides on Christie's team know that the lane closures on the George Washington were politically motivated and not the result of a supposed traffic study? Messages suggest two other Christie aides, attorney Charlie McKenna and campaign finance director Nicole Davidman, might have known that Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly ordered the Fort Lee traffic jam.

Drawing on a new trove of emails released Friday afternoon, Molly Redden reports that Patrick Foye, the executive director of Port Authority, said the unexpected decision to close three lanes on the George Washington Bridge "violates federal law and the laws of both states."

UPDATE 10, Friday, Jan. 10, 6:12 p.m. EST: New emails released Friday afternoon show that the traffic jam forced Fort Lee police officers to direct traffic instead of responding to emergencies, Molly Redden reports.

UPDATE 11, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 12:20 p.m. EST: The Wall Street Journal reports that Christie was with David Wildstein, the official who ordered the closure of the bridge, on September 11, 2013—the third day of the traffic jam.

The first batch of emails is below. You can read hundreds more pages of emails and documents from the Christie scandal here.

 

[QueEx]

source: Mother Jones

New emails suggest a senior aide to Christie—a 2016 presidential contender—ordered a nasty traffic jam in Fort Lee as political payback.


Internal emails released Wednesday strongly suggest that a top aide to New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie orchestrated massive traffic problems in Fort Lee, New Jersey, last fall as an act of political retribution against the city's Democratic mayor.


Why is this political? Soon after the traffic jam, rumors emerged that the Port Authority closed the bridge lanes as political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat who endorsed Gov. Chris Christie's opponent in the 2013 gubernatorial campaign. As news outlets and New Jersey Democrats dug deeper into the circumstances of the bridge incident, they eventually connected the lane closures to two Port Authority officials with close ties to Christie: Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the agency, and <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">David Wildstein, its director of interstate capital projects. Baroni and Wildstein have since resigned, and both men have retained criminal defense attorneys</span>.

What's new today? In response to a subpoena, Wildstein provided a bevy of emails sent by Christie's staff to a panel of state lawmakers investigating the road closures. The messages fly in the face of many of the claims Christie has made about the lane closures. Wildstein will testify about the documents before that panel on Thursday.


What are the highlights? "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly, a top Christie aide, wrote in an email to Wildstein. "Got it," Wildstein replied.
One text message sent to Wildstein on the day of the lane closures referenced mass school bus delays. "Is it wrong that I'm smiling?" the message read.

"No," Wildstein wrote.

"I feel badly about the kids. I guess," the person, who is unidentified, texted back.

Wildstein replied, "They are the children of Buono voters." Barbara Buono was the Democratic challenger to Christie who lost handily to the governor last November.

Numerous messages mock Fort Lee's mayor as he scrambled to learn the reason behind the closures from the Port Authority and spoke publicly about the closures in the aftermath. In one email sent the day of the closures, Wildstein assures Kelly that the Port Authority was responding to Sokolich with "Radio silence."
​

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David Wildstein
The Official Who Oversaw the
Lane Closures Has Turned On
Christie. Here's Why It Matters​

Well, now we know what we predicted just a few weeks ago: you disown the geeky kid you knew back in high school – the statistician on your baseball team! – at your own peril.

David Wildstein, the Port Authority appointee who oversaw the politically motivated lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in September, released a letter through his lawyer today challenging Governor Chris Christie’s claims that he was unaware of the closures.

As the New York Times reports, Wildstein described the order to close the lanes as “<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">the Christie administration’s order</span>” and said “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference” three weeks ago. “Mr. Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him, and he can prove the inaccuracy of some,” the letter added.


Now, just to be clear: Wildstein is not (or not yet) asserting that he has evidence that Christie knew that the lane closures were meant as retribution against the mayor of Fort Lee, and not, as was claimed for months, part of a “traffic study.”

But what he is asserting is damaging and foreboding nonetheless.

He is stating that Christie knew about the closures during the four days in early September that they were happening, which contradicts Christie’s evolving accounts of when he knew what. As Ted Mann* of the Wall Street Journal has noted, Christie claimed in a December 13 press conference not to have learned anything of the closures until after the October 1 report of an angry email from Port Authority director Patrick Foye ordering the lanes to be reopened. "The first I ever heard of the issue was when it was reported in the press, which I think was in the aftermath of the leaking of Mr. Foye's email," Mr. Christie said on December 13. "I think that was the first I heard of it. But it was certainly well after the whole thing was over before I heard about it."

At his two-hour January 9 press conference, Christie revised that, saying of the timing of when he learned of the closures, "It wasn't when Pat Foye's emails—I think there was an earlier story than that.” Now, there was one mention of the closures the week that they happened – by the traffic columnist in the Bergen Record. But even it did not appear until September 13, a day after the closures had been called off, and thus would conflict timing-wise with Wildstein’s assertion today that Christie knew about the closures “during the period when the lanes were closed.” And at another point in the January 9 press conference, it certainly sounds like it was not this first early mention in the Record but later articles about the closures that Christie is referring to as the moment of his learning about it all: “I knew nothing about this. And until it started to be reported in the papers about the closure, but even then I was told this was a traffic study.” Even then. As in, after it had happened. And at yet another point in the press conference, he stated even more unequivocally that he did not know about the closure til afterward: “I had no knowledge of this — of the planning, the execution or anything about it — and that I first found out about it after it was over,” he said. “And even then, what I was told was that it was a traffic study.”​

Now, even if one were to grant for a moment that Christie was referring to that first Record item, and was thus only out of sync by a day or two with Wildstein’s assertion that he knew about the closures when the lanes were closed, it brings us back to the question that’s hung over this all along:

if Christie did know about the closures the day after they stopped, why did the famously micro-managing and in-control governor not try to learn more about them and, having determined they were part of a political plot, call them off?​

That question looms all the larger following a well-reported New York Times piece this week about just how deeply involved Christie was in his team’s pursuit of low-level Democratic endorsements.

This is the subtext of Wildstein's claim that Christie knew about the closures as they were happening:

if he knew about them, then he surely knew about them, in all their sordid particulars.​

But above all, there is this:

we now know that <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">the man at the center of this whole operation [David Wildstein] has decided to flip against Christie instead of taking the fall</span>.​

This should not be surprising – Wildstein signaled his willingness to cause trouble when he responded to a legislative subpoena by providing so many damning e-mails and text messages (including one that referred tantalizingly to a meeting between Christie and Port Authority Chairman David Samson just before the “time for some traffic problems” order was issued); and he got a lawyer without ties to Christie, unlike Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff who sent the “traffic problems” order and has secured as her lawyer Michael Critchley, a top attorney with longstanding links to Christie. Wildstein is, quite simply, the ultimate wildcard – someone who seemingly left politics after a brief stint as mayor of his hometown but kept his hand in the game for years as an anonymous and exceedingly well-sourced political blogger, “Wally Edge.” He came out of the shadows in 2010 to serve as Christie’s liaison at the Port Authority, where he was up to all manner of devious political hijinx on Christie’s behalf.

But he was never part of the inner circle – as Christie made clear when he dismissed him so cavalierly at the January 9 press conference as someone he barely saw, and as Wildstein established, very much on his own terms, this afternoon.

Addendum, 7 p.m.: Christie's office has now released a statement asserting that there is nothing new in Wildstein's letter: "Mr. Wildstein's lawyer confirms what the governor has said all along — he had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened and whatever Mr. Wildstein's motivations were for closing them to begin with." The key here is "prior." After first asserting that he did not know of the closures until after they happened, and having Wildstein now claim evidence that he knew of them while they were happening, Christie seems to be ceding that fact, that he knew of them while they were happening, but did not know of them before they happened. But again, if they knew of them while they were happening...​

​

SOURCE: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/...-david-wildstein-flips-against-him-bridgegate

 

[thoughtone]

It's The Media's Fault!

 

[thoughtone]

 

[QueEx]

​

David Wildstein
The Official Who Oversaw the
Lane Closures Has Turned On Christie.
​

Well, now we know what we predicted just a few weeks ago: you disown the geeky kid you knew back in high school – the statistician on your baseball team! – at your own peril.

David Wildstein, the Port Authority appointee who oversaw the politically motivated lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in September, released a letter through his lawyer today challenging Governor Chris Christie’s claims that he was unaware of the closures.

As the New York Times reports, Wildstein described the order to close the lanes as “<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">the Christie administration’s order</span>” and said “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference” three weeks ago. “Mr. Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him, and he can prove the inaccuracy of some,” the letter added.
​

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Chris Christie attacks N.Y. Times, David Wildstein

Christie has '5 Things You Should Know About The Bombshell That’s Not A Bombshell' | AP Photo
​

p o l i t i c o
By MIKE ALLEN
and MAGGIE HABERMAN
February 1, 2014


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, after a low-key initial response to Friday’s explosive allegations about his involvement in a bridge-closing scandal, mounted an aggressive defense late Saturday afternoon, attacking The New York Times and a former political ally in an email to friends and allies obtained by POLITICO.

“Bottom line — David Wildstein will do and say anything to save David Wildstein,” the email from the
governor’s office says, referring to the former appointee who reignited the controversy.​

The subject line of the 700-word email from the governor’s office is: “5 Things You Should Know About The Bombshell That’s Not A Bombshell.” It offers a harshly negative portrayal of Wildstein’s character and judgment.

The Christie camp begins by criticizing The Times for its initial characterization of the Wildstein letter:

“A media firestorm was set off by sloppy reporting from the New York Times and their suggestion that there was actually ‘evidence’ when it was a letter alleging that ‘evidence exists.’”

“As he has said repeatedly, Governor Christie had no involvement, knowledge or understanding of the real motives behind David Wildstein’s scheme to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge. … The Governor first learned lanes at the George Washington Bridge were even closed from press accounts after the fact. Even then he was under the belief it was a traffic study. He first learned David Wildstein and Bridget Kelly closed lanes for political purposes when it was reported on January 8th.”​

Then, it gets personal:

“In David Wildstein’s past, people and newspaper accounts have described him as <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">‘tumultuous’ and someone who ‘made moves that were not productive,’”</span> the email continues. “David Wildstein has been publicly asking for immunity since the beginning, been held in contempt by the New Jersey legislature for refusing to testify, failed to provide this so-called ‘evidence’ when he was first subpoenaed by the NJ Legislature and is looking for the Port Authority to pay his legal bills.”

“<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">He was publicly accused by his high school social studies teacher of deceptive behavior</span>.”

​

After POLITICO posted the email from Christie’s office, Michael Czin, national press secretary of the Democratic National Committee, said in an email of his own to reporters:

<SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">“f what Christie says about Wildstein in his oppo-dump is true, -- why did Christie’s administration appoint him to such a senior position at the Port Authority?</span> ​

We’ve seen plenty of bluster and attacks from team Christie in recent weeks, but what we haven’t seen are any explanations as to why the Christie Administration shut down the lanes.”

In response to the Czin question, posed by a reporter to Christie’s office, an official told POLITICO:

“Over the last month, we’re seeing a fuller picture of who Wildstein really was. The fact that he punitively shut down lanes on a bridge for political purposes overshadows anything he had done previously.”​

​

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/...vid-wildstein-102987_Page2.html#ixzz2sCvbWPCV

 

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2 Former Chris Christie Aides Found Guilty On All Counts In 'Bridgegate' Trial

Bill Baroni (right), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former top appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,
arrives at federal court in Newark, N.J., on Friday. Baroni and Bridget Kelly were found guilty of scheming to use traffic jams
to punish a Democratic mayor who didn't endorse Christie in 2013. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption


Two former allies of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have been found guilty of all nine counts against them in connection to the Bridgegate scandal.

The case involved a scheme to intentionally cause traffic problems on the George Washington Bridge in September 2013, as political retaliation against a mayor who did not endorse Christie for re-election. A total of four top Christie aides have now either pleaded guilty or been found guilty of federal crimes, Andrea Bernstein of member station WNYC reports.

The two Christie allies found guilty on Friday were Bridget Kelly, who was Christie's deputy chief of staff, and one-time Port Authority deputy executive director Bill Baroni.

The seven charges and nine counts against them included conspiracy and fraud.

Kelly wept silently as the verdict was announced, WNYC's Matt Katz reports, while Baroni smiled and hugged his family.

Their sentencing will be held on February 21, 2017 and they will be on probation until then, Katz says.

WNYC reports that the two face sentences of up to 86 years in prison.

"The federal jury took five days to reach a verdict in the scandal that helped sink Christie's Republican campaign for president," The Associated Press reports. "The verdict came before the judge ruled on a request by defense attorneys to declare a mistrial in the case."

Kelly and Baroni both plan to appeal, according to statements made by their lawyers after the verdict was announced.

The defense lawyers also sharply criticized prosecutors for going after Christie's aides without charging Christie himself — who has not been indicted in connection to this case and did not testify in the trial.

Article continues after sponsorship
told the story on Fresh Air earlier this year.

It's the fall of 2013. Christie has recently been re-elected and he is at the height of his popularity. Then, Katz explains:

"There was a Democratic mayor in the town of Fort Lee — which is at the foot of the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the world — and the mayor didn't endorse Christie's re-election. The next thing he knew ... he woke up one Monday morning in September and there were lanes that go from his town to the George Washington Bridge that were closed.

"And the result was this massive, massive traffic jam in his town because all these cars from all over North Jersey use those lanes. Ambulance workers had to get out of their vehicles and run to the scene of an emergency. It was the first day of school, so new kindergartners were sitting on their buses for hours. And he couldn't figure out why the Port Authority that runs the bridge that's controlled by Christie would have closed these lanes.

"So he starts making calls, doesn't get a call back. This traffic jam went on for five days including ... the anniversary of September 11, which caused further distress because the bridge is a terrorist target. It went on for five mornings in a row before somebody from the New York side of the Port Authority — because this is a bi-state agency — discovered what had been going on and decided to reopen the lanes. And the explanation initially from Christie officials was that they were just doing a traffic study."​

An email from Kelly to former Port Authority official David Wildstein was a key piece of evidence suggesting that the closure was, in fact, political. It read: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

"Got it," Wildstein said in reply.

Wildstein pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy earlier this year. David Samson, a close friend of Christie's, is the fourth Christie aide who has pleaded guilty to a federal crime; he admitted to promising special treatment from the Port Authority in order to bribe United Airlines.


SOURCE: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...ound-guilty-on-all-counts-in-bridgegate-trial



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[thoughtone]

Stay tuned.

 

[QueEx]

Stay tuned.

The convictions make further bad news for the governor inevitable. | Getty


Convictions ensure Christie's Bridgegate nightmare will continue
Read more: http://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2016/11/christies-bridgegate-nightmare-continues-107104#ixzz4P6gigyLw


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