Christie and the Lane Closing Scandal - New York Times

First Known Email From Kelly Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff to Gov. Chris Christie, emails David Wildstein, a friend of Mr. Christie’s for whom a Christie appointee created a job at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the George Washington Bridge. “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Ms. Kelly wrote. Lanes Closed for Four Days Local access lanes to the George Washington Bridge on the New Jersey side are abruptly closed from Sept. 9-13, gridlocking Fort Lee. On the second day, Mayor Mark Sokolich sends a text message to Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the Port Authority, pleading for help with his gridlocked city. “The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Help please. It’s maddening,” Mr. Sokolich writes, according to released documents. Port Authority Claims 'Traffic Study' In a brief email statement, Sean Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority, claims the lane closings were related to a traffic study. "The Port Authority has conducted a week of study at the... bridge of traffic-safety patterns," Mr. Coleman wrote. Fort Lee Mayor Questions Motive Mayor Sokolich reaches out to Mr. Baroni, Governor Christie's top appointee on the Port Authority staff. According to the released documents, Mr. Sokolich says: “We should talk. Someone needs to tell me that the recent traffic debacle was not punitive in nature. The last four reporters that contacted me suggest that the people they are speaking with absolutely believe it to be punishment. Try as I may to dispel these rumors I am having a tough time." Memo From Foye Is Leaked An internal email from Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority, angrily denouncing the lane closings is published in The Wall Street Journal. Wisniewski Announces Hearing John Wisniewski, a New Jersey state assemblymen, says he will convene a hearing in November to investigate the lane closings and financial issues surrounding a record toll increase imposed in 2011 at Port Authority bridges and tunnels, including the George Washington Bridge. "I think the old adage that 'if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck' applies here," Mr. Wisniewski said of the lane closings, according to The Star Ledger. Baroni Testifies Mr. Baroni testifies before the Assembly Transportation Committee, acknowledging that his agency had failed to communicate about the closings but he does not explain why it did not follow normal procedures before a major traffic disruption. Mr. Baroni also says it was Mr. Wildstein who had ordered the closings, the first time an agency representative is publicly identified as having ordered the mysterious lane closings, which caused three-hour backups. Wildstein Resigns Mr. Wildstein writes in a letter to Mr. Baroni that he is resigning as the director of interstate capital projects at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey effective Jan. 1. Mr. Wildstein explains that the lane-closing issue had become “a distraction.” Port Authority Opens Investigation The Port Authority's inspector general opens an investigation into the lane closings, and the actions of Mr. Wildstein. Christie Reportedly Calls Cuomo About Investigation According to The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Christie calls Gov. Andrew Cuomo to complain that Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority and a Cuomo appointee, was pressing too hard to get to the bottom of why the number of toll lanes onto the bridge from Fort Lee was cut from three to one in early September. (Mr. Christie later denied he had called Mr. Cuomo.) Christie Calls Lane Closings Issue Overblown; Baroni Quits Mr. Christie, facing reporters, announces the resignation of Mr. Baroni and says the fuss about Mr. Wildstein and Mr. Baroni having ordered the lane closings — and about whether they had done it to punish Fort Lee’s mayor for failing to endorse Mr. Christie — had been “sensationalized.” Mr. Christie also states that he had not heard of the issue before The Wall Street Journal's publication of Mr. Foye's memo. "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, according to The Journal. Emails Tie Christie’s Staff to Lane Closings Emails and texts are disclosed tying Christie appointees and associates to the lane closings. One email is the one from Ms. Kelly, a deputy chief of staff for the governor, to Mr. Wildstein at the Port Authority: “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” The documents suggest the motive was political retribution and that efforts were made to cover it up. Mr. Christie issues a statement denying knowledge of the documents. Christie Apologizes; Wildstein Pleads the Fifth In a two-hour news conference, Mr. Christie sounds somber and appears contrite, saying he had no advance knowledge of the lane closings and has been “humiliated” by the entire episode. Soon after, Mr. Wildstein refuses to answer questions at a legislative hearing posed by Democrats investigating the Fort Lee traffic jam. Mr. Wildstein's appearance before the State Senate had been scheduled before Mr. Christie's news conference was announced. Another Mayor Felt a Christie-Tied Reprisal Documents are disclosed showing that during Mr. Christie's 2013 re-election campaign, his administration aggressively courted Mayor Steven Fulop of Jersey City, a Democrat, then abruptly cut ties after he told them he would not endorse the governor. Administration Hires High-powered Defense Lawyer Mr. Christie’s administration announces that it has hired Randy M. Mastro, a longtime associate of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, to conduct an internal review and cooperate with the investigation by the United States attorney’s office into the lane closings. Hoboken Mayor Accuses Christie's Office of Intimidation In a television interview on MSNBC, Dawn Zimmer, the Democratic mayor of Hoboken, says the lieutenant governor and a state commissioner threatened in May to withhold money for Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts for her hard-hit city if she did not support a real estate development that the governor wanted built in her jurisdiction. Wildstein Says Christie Knew of Shut Lanes A lawyer for Mr. Wildstein writes a letter claiming that “evidence exists” that the governor knew about the closings when they were happening. The letter is an attempt by Mr. Wildstein to have the Port Authority pay for his legal fees. Mr. Christie’s office responds with a statement of denial that is narrower than the governor’s previous assertions that he had not known about the closings in September. “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 statement says. Christie’s Office Targets Wildstein in a Memo A two-page memo sent “from the governor’s office” portrays Mr. Wildstein as a loose cannon who was attacking Mr. Christie only to save himself. It says, “In David Wildstein’s past, people and newspaper accounts have described him as ‘tumultuous’ and someone who ‘made moves that were not productive.’”

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