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Tag: david wildstein

  • Chris Christie Fires Back At Wildstein Over Allegations

    Chris Christie struck back at David Wildstein over the weekend, shooting down the allegation that he knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closings before they happened and calling into question Wildstein’s character.

    Wildstein, a Port Authority appointee who knows Christie from their high school days, was implicated in the scandal last month when an email was released from Christie’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, telling Wildstein that it was “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” The lane closings were allegedly a form of revenge on the mayor for not endorsing Christie and caused a horrific traffic snarl for four days, creating delays for school buses and emergency vehicles. Last week, Wildstein said that not only did Christie order the closings, but the entire operation was referred to as the “Christie administration’s order”.

    “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,” Wildstein wrote in a letter released by his lawyer.

    The New Jersey governor sent out a letter over the weekend to his supporters titled “5 Things You Should Know About The Bombshell That’s Not A Bombshell” and said that Wildstein’s revelations were in his own best interest and don’t hold any truth.

    “Bottom line – David Wildstein will do and say anything to save David Wildstein,” the letter read. “In David Wildstein’s past, people and newspaper accounts have described him as ‘tumultuous’ and someone who ‘made moves that were not productive. As a 16-year-old kid, he sued over a local school board election. He was publicly accused [by his social studies teacher in high school] of deceptive behavior. He had a controversial tenure as mayor of Livingston. He was an anonymous blogger known as Wally Edge. He had a strange habit of registering web addresses for other people’s names without telling them.”

    The scandal has reportedly thrown Christie’s chances for the presidential campaign in 2016 into chaos, but he still has the support of the GOP.

    “We don’t have any proof right now that the governor said, ‘Go and close the lanes.’ We know that somebody who was in his office, Bridget Kelly, ordered the lane closures,” New Jersey assemblyman John Wisniewski (D) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Nothing yet implicates the governor directly.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chris Christie Knew About Lane Closings, Says Wildstein

    Chris Christie said in a press conference earlier this month that he had no knowledge of the lane closings–called “Bridgegate” in the media–that tied up traffic between the George Washington Bridge and the town of Fort Lee last year, but the man who actually ordered the closings says Christie knew all along.

    The lane closings were allegedly ordered as revenge on the mayor for not backing Christie for re-election; Christie’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly sent an email–which was released earlier this month–to Christie’s high school pal and Port Authority appointee David Wildstein that read, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” Soon after, the lanes were closed down, snarling traffic for four days and causing major delays not just for commuters, but for school buses and emergency medical services. A 91-year old woman who died during that time is said to have perished because the ambulance couldn’t reach her in time.

    Christie announced in a press conference that he had no knowledge beforehand that the lane closings were planned out and that he planned to fire Kelly.

    “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,” he said in a statement.

    However, Wildstein says he has proof that Christie knew what was going on and, in fact, called the lane closings “the Christie administration’s order”.

    “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,” Wildstein wrote in a letter released by his lawyer.

    Christie initially said that he’d had no contact with Wildstein in several months and therefore couldn’t have known about the plan to close down the bridge, but a photo released by the Wall Street Journal this month shows Christie and Wildstein standing together at a 9/11 memorial on the anniversary of the attacks last year, well after he said he’d last spoken to him.

    “I have had no contact with David Wildstein in a long time, a long time, well before the election,” Christie said. “You know, I could probably count on one hand the number of conversations I’ve had with David since he worked at the Port Authority. I did not interact with David.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons