New Jersey gov. faces political scandal
During the traffic jam, emergency vehicles were delayed in responding to three people with heart problems and a missing toddler, and commuters were left fuming.
A series of emails and text messages disclosed Wednesday show that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was probably linked to a deliberate plan to create traffic gridlock in a town at the base of a major bridge after its Democratic mayor refused to endorse him for re-election.
In September, a deputy chief of staff and two appointees of Christie, the Republican Partyâ„¢s leading 2016 presidential hopeful, closed two access lanes from Fort Lee, NJ, onto the George Washington Bridge into New York, creating days of gridlock in the region, the communications show.
Å“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff, emailed David Wildstein, a high school friend of the governor who worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the bridge, according to The New York Times.
The newspaper reports that later text messages mocked concerns that school buses filled with students were stuck in gridlock: Å“They are the children of Buono voters,” Mr. Wildstein wrote, referring to Mr. Christieâ„¢s opponent Barbara Buono.
During the traffic jam, emergency vehicles were delayed in responding to three people with heart problems and a missing toddler, and commuters were left fuming, the NY Times notes.
According to The Washington Post, the emails do not show whether the governor was involved in the lanes closure. Christies denied knowledge of the plan in a statement late Wednesday and said his staff was to blame.
The growing scandal comes as the governor assumes a larger position on the national stage, as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
The revelations will probably intensify an investigation into the lane closing by the Port Authority Inspector Generalâ„¢s office, which opened a formal inquiry in December. The communications could represent evidence that government resources were used for political purposes, which is a political crime.
ARA/ARA
Source: Press TV