(Corrects spelling of political party’s name in 22nd paragraph.)
David Wildstein, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official who ordered lanes closed at the George Washington Bridge, told agency staff not to alert the town of Fort Lee about the move.
Wildstein, an appointee of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, “made it clear that he would control the communication about the toll lane closures,” the Port Authority said today in response to questions from U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat who is chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
Related:
- Christie Bridge Jam Inquiry to Probe $1 Billion Projects
- Christie Aides’ ‘Mistakes’ Overtake Fresh Policy Message
The September lane closings backed up miles of road in Fort Lee, the New Jersey town of 37,500 that abuts the bridge to Manhattan, and whose Democratic mayor didn’t endorse the Republican governor. Christie has said he had no knowledge of the act, which threatens his national political ambitions.
Christie last week fired a deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, 41, saying she lied to him about whether anyone on his team was involved in the closings. E-mails and text messages obtained by Bloomberg and other news organizations included one from she wrote Aug. 13 to Wildstein.
“Time for some traffic problems,” she wrote. He replied, “Got it.”
Didn’t Inform
Wildstein, who attended high school with Christie, resigned last month. He failed to inform the agency’s executive director about the lane closings, the Port Authority said in its answers to Rockefeller’s questions.
“The Port Authority officials who ordered the September 9-13 George Washington Bridge lane closures did not follow their agency’s own procedures,” Rockefeller said. “The Port Authority needs to fully explain what steps it is taking to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Wildstein directed Robert Durando, general manager for the bridge, not to tell Fort Lee officials of the lane closings. Facility management “raised the concern of not advising Fort Lee as a negative impact to a longstanding productive working relationship that had been established between facility operations staff and the borough,” according to the answers.
Bill Baroni, who was Christie’s top executive appointee at the authority, told lawmakers in November that the morning rush-hour closings of two of three approach lanes were for a traffic study. He also said he knew about the move before it took place.
“Any traffic study that would require lane closures would require advanced communications to other transportation operators, local municipalities, and the traveling public,” the agency said in its answers.
‘Zero Evidence’
Wildstein told the chief engineer at the authority of his intent to close the lanes 12 days before the move, according to the answers. The engineer raised a concern about local traffic merging and the risk of sideswipe crashes.
“The Port Authority’s response provides zero evidence that the purpose of these closures was to conduct a legitimate traffic study,” Rockefeller said.
Mark Sokolich, the mayor of Fort Lee, protested the closings in a Sept. 12 letter to Baroni and questioned whether there were “punitive overtones” associated with the decision. The mayor got no response.
Frustrated Mayor
The e-mails show Kelly, Baroni, Wildstein and Christie campaign manager Bill Stepien delighting in Sokolich’s frustration. Baroni resigned last month, and Christie cut ties with Stepien.
Democrats who control the New Jersey legislature are investigating whether Christie or other members of his administration had knowledge of the closings and whether they tried to cover it up. The Assembly and Senate today voted to create two inquiry panels and reauthorize subpoena power for legislative panels looking into the matter.
The Assembly committee issued 20 subpoenas today, though Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democrat from Sayreville leading the panel, declined to identify the recipients.
Wisniewski said the subpoenas will give the recipients two weeks to turn over documents. He said the committee will then need time to digest them and that he expects the next hearing to take place in mid-February.
Republican lawmakers voted in favor of the committees after raising concerns about the cost, the amount of time it will take and the need for multiple investigations.
“If someone can explain to me why you need two committees to investigate the same situation, you got me,” Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick of Westfield said to reporters.
Paul J. Fishman, the U.S. attorney in New Jersey, also is probing the matter, according to a spokeswoman, Rebekah Carmichael. Christie has said he has nothing to hide and will direct his staff to cooperate.
No Testimony
Wildstein, who was subpoenaed by the Assembly to testify, invoked his right to remain silent. The panel ruled him in contempt.
Wisniewski, the Democrat leading his chamber’s investigation, said he won’t disclose who the requests are sent to until they acknowledge receiving them. Kelly and Stepien are likely to be included in the next round, he’s said.
The Assembly yesterday said it hired Reid Schar, the lead prosecutor in the corruption trials of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, to lead its investigation of the lane closings.
The Christie administration today said it retained Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP to assist with the inquiries. Attorney Randy Mastro, a deputy mayor under former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, will lead the firm’s efforts, according to a statement from Christie’s office.
At an event in Manahawkin today to discuss Hurricane Sandy relief, Christie didn’t mention the bridge matter directly, though he noted the job of governor comes with “all kinds of challenges, as you know, that come out of nowhere to test you.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Stacie Sherman in Trenton at sbabula@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1hwt9ep
0 comments:
Post a Comment