According to an one-time Port Authority official who was personally responsible for monitoring lane closings on the George Washington Bridge, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was aware of the closings as they happened.
The New York Times reports that David Wildstein's attorney released a letter where Wildstein detailed how the decision to close the bridge's lanes was "the Christie administration's order." The letter added that "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, a high school friend of Christie's, was appointed to the position with the governor's support. Futhermore, the letter states that Wildstein "contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him and he can prove the inaccuracy of some."
Earlier this month, documents revealed that Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff to Christie, sent Wildstein an email saying "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Located at the New Jersey end of the bridge, Fort Lee, NJ is where Christie aides failed to receive an endorsement from its mayor during Christie's re-election campaign.
Christie has maintained that, prior to this month, he had no knowledge of anyone on his staff being responsible for the lane closings. What's more, his administration has described the incident as the reckless actions of a renegade staffer.
Many identified Chrisite as the GOP's nominee of choice in the 2016 presidential race. If there is any validity to these claims, this could be a devastating blow to his chances.
[via New York Times]
