Documents show US officials scrambled to control the publicity damage after lane closings near the George Washington Bridge sparked a traffic scandal that now threatens the rise of Republican star and potential 2016 presidential candidate Chris Christie.
Christie, the larger-than-life New Jersey governor, has apologized repeatedly and fired a top aide after documents this week revealed that officials in his administration may have intentionally caused traffic jams at the foot of one of the world’s busiest bridges in an act of political revenge.
In their writings, officials appointed by Christie, seemed more concerned about the political fallout than the damage done by lane closures. Federal prosecutors are investigating.
Christie previously had said his staff had nothing to do with the lane closings in September last year at the George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey and New York City, and he still says he had no personal knowledge of them.
The lane closures caused hours long delays at one of the major gateways to New York City. Documents show that Christie’s aides appeared to close the lanes to punish the Democratic mayor of the town of Fort Lee, which sits at one end of the bridge, for refusing to endorse the governor during his recent re-election campaign.
The documents released on Friday indicate short tempers as cars and trucks piled up.
“I had an unpleasant interaction with Fort Lee police chief and assistant chief about congesting the Borough, and preventing the smooth flow of emergency response vehicles throughout the Borough,” Robert Durando, the bridge’s general manager, said in a Sept. 9 e-mail. “Their characterization was that the ‘test’ was a monumental failure.”
In the e-mail that ordered the lanes reopened four days later, the executive director of the bridge’s operator, Patrick Foye, called the decision to close the lanes “abusive” and added: “I believe this hasty and ill-advised decision violates Federal Law.”
Bill Baroni, the Christie-appointed deputy director who has since resigned, forwarded a copy of the angry e-mail to Christie’s scheduling secretary.
Later that morning, Baroni e-mailed Foye: “I am on my way to office to discuss. There can be no public discourse.”
Foye responded: “Bill that’s precisely the problem: There has been no public discourse on this.”
The New Jersey governor has cast himself as a straight-talking politician who transcends partisan politics, but the scandal has him on the defensive.
“I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team,” the famously blunt Christie said on Thursday during a nearly two-hour press conference.
Both Democrats and Republicans said the governor’s presidential prospects could be severely undermined if evidence emerges that contradicts his denials.
Christie traveled to Fort Lee on Thursday to personally apologize to the mayor and community residents.
However, the issue is far from over.
US Attorney Paul Fishman is reviewing the case, and the general inspector of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the bridge, is also investigating.
The scandal comes on the eve of a second term for Christie that was designed to be a springboard to a national campaign.
In less than two weeks, he plans to celebrate his inauguration at Ellis Island, a historic gateway for millions of immigrants and a symbolic location designed to showcase his broad appeal.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS