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Former aide accuses Christie of lying about bridge scandal Former aide accuses Christie of lying about bridge scandal
(about 3 hours later)
One of the key players in the scandal surrounding New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie accused him on Friday of lying about his role, while another said he would refuse to testify before a state legislative committee investigating the episode. One of the key players in a scandal surrounding Chris Christie accused the New Jersey governor on Friday of lying about his role.
The moves by two of Christie’s longtime political associates could further damage the embattled Republican as he tries to restore his image amid aggressive investigations from Democratic lawmakers and a federal prosecutor. David Wildstein, a former Christie appointee who presided over the George Washington Bridge lane closures at the center of the controversy, said through a letter from his attorney that “evidence exists . . . 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.”
David Wildstein, a former appointee of Christie charged that Christie gave an incorrect account of what he knew about the infamous traffic backup on the George Washington Bridge--and he said he knows of evidence that would prove it. Christie’s office denied the accusation.
But Wildstein gave almost no details about what he was asserting was untrue in Christie’s accounts. And he also said nothing about what this important evidence is, or who has it. Wildstein is the first Christie ally to publicly question the governor’s account, and his claim could further damage Christie as he tries to restore his image amid aggressive investigations by Democratic lawmakers and a federal prosecutor.
On Friday, that made it hard to judge what Wildstein’s letter--whose existence was first reported by the New York Times--actually means for the embattled governor. Also Friday, Bill Stepien, a longtime political adviser to Christie, said he would refuse to testify before the state legislative committee investigating the episode — raising the possibility that more damaging information could emerge.
Christie’s troubles mounted earlier Friday when an attorney for Bill Stepien, Christie’s former campaign manager, said he would plead the Fifth Amendment in response to a subpoena request from the New Jersey state legislature, which recently launched a select committee to look into the bridge scandal. Wildstein, who attended the same high school as Christie, was appointed by Christie to a position at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“The potential for Mr. Stepien’s ensnarement in the ambiguous circumstances that led to the subpoena’s issuance is undeniable in this case,” wrote Kevin Marino, Stepien’s attorney, in a letter to the committee’s special counsel. In September, Wildstein and another of Christie’s top appointees at the Port Authority ordered the lane closures, causing four days of gridlock in Fort Lee, apparently as retribution against the town’s mayor for not endorsing Christie for reelection. Wildstein resigned in December.
Wildstein, who attended the same high school as Christie, was later appointed by Christie to a position at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Last year, it was Wildstein who apparently set in motion the massive bridge backup, in response to an email from one of Christie’s top aides. Wildstein resigned in December. “Mr. Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the Governor made about him and he could prove the accuracy of some,” wrote his attorney, Alan L. Zegas.
In the letter sent by his attorney, Wildstein said 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.” Wildstein gave almost no details about what he is asserting is untrue in Christie’s accounts. And he said nothing about what the important evidence is, or who has it.
Also, attorney Alan L. Zegas wrote, “Mr. Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the Governor made about him and he could prove the accuracy of some.” That made it hard to judge what role Wildstein’s letter — first reported by the New York Times — would play in the investigations.
The traffic backups occurred for four days in early September. Since then, Christie has said that he was not aware of the traffic jam until it was over. In rejecting Wildstein’s accusations, a Christie aide said in an e-mail:
“I asked Christie during a Dec. news conference specifically if he knew about the closures as they were occurring. “Never. No,” he replied, wrote John Reitmeyer, a reporter for the Record newspaper in Bergen County, N.J., on Twitter Friday. “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.”
Also, during a press conference in January, Christie said he was not aware that the closures had been ordered by his administration until very recently.
“I had no knowledge of this -- of the planning, the execution or anything about it -- and that I first found out about it after it was over,” Christie said then. Even when he found out about it, Christie said then, “what I was told was that it was a traffic study.”
The letter from Wildstein’s attorney seemed to be designed to cast doubt on those accounts.
In a statement, Christie’s office forcefully denied the accusation.
“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,” an aide said.
The aide added: “As the Governor said in a December 13th press conference, he only first learned lanes were closed when it was reported by the press and as he said in a January 9th press conference, had no indication that this was anything other than a traffic study until he read otherwise the morning of January 8th. The Governor denies Mr. Wildstein’s lawyer’s other assertions.”The aide added: “As the Governor said in a December 13th press conference, he only first learned lanes were closed when it was reported by the press and as he said in a January 9th press conference, had no indication that this was anything other than a traffic study until he read otherwise the morning of January 8th. The Governor denies Mr. Wildstein’s lawyer’s other assertions.”
Wildstein and Christie both attended Livingston High School in northern New Jersey, with Wildstein graduating in 1979 and 1980. The school was enormous--about 600 students per class--and the two were vastly different. Christie was the hyper-social class president, and Wildstein an introvert. “We didn’t travel in the same circles in high school,” Christie said in that press conference. During a news conference in January, Christie said he had only recently learned that the closures had been ordered by his administration.
But the two students had one overlapping interest. “I had no knowledge of this — of the planning, the execution or anything about it — and that I first found out about it after it was over,” Christie said then. Even when he found out about it, he said then, “what I was told was that it was a traffic study.”
“They both were associated with the baseball team at the same time, Chris as a player, David as a statistician,” said Tony Hope, a coach at Livingston in those years. Christie’s supporters were quick Friday to rally behind the governor, a possible Republican presidential hopeful. Anthony Carbonetti, a GOP consultant and longtime friend of Christie, said Wildstein’s letter is “not a smoking gun.”
But, Hope said, Wildstein’s role with the team was mainly limited to watching games from the stands. “There was no friendship of Chris Christie and David Wildstein during their high school days,” Hope said. “A casual acquaintance, at best.” “If he had a smoking gun, he would have immunity already,” Carbonetti said. “Wildstein’s letter does not contradict Christie and it’s the work of someone who is trying to get his legal bills paid.”
In recent interviews, several of Christie’s fellow players also said they did not recall Wildstein and Christie being close. “I think he was the manger or the assistant manager of the team. He used to travel. But I never saw him and Chris hanging out,” said Mike Inga, a former player now living in San Diego. “It definitely wasn’t somebody that he would consider a friend.” In January, Wildstein pleaded the Fifth Amendment when he appeared with Zegas before a state assembly hearing about the traffic snarl.
In an interview last month, Zegas told The Washington Post that Wildstein is eager to share information, as long as state and federal prosecutors grant him immunity.
“My client is willing to speak freely if he is conferred immunity,” Zegas said. “If he is granted immunity, he will fully cooperate. In the meantime, he intends to fully comply with his legal obligations, and we will voluntarily supply more documents without redactions.”
Wildstein and Christie attended Livingston High School in northern New Jersey, with Wildstein graduating in 1979 and Christie in 1980. The school had about 600 students per class, and the two were vastly different. Christie was the hyper-social class president, and Wildstein an introvert. “We didn’t travel in the same circles in high school,” Christie said in his January news conference.
But they shared an interest.
“They both were associated with the baseball team at the same time, Chris as a player, David as a statistician,” said Tony Hope, a coach at Livingston at the time.
But, he said, Wildstein’s role with the team was mainly limited to watching games from the stands. “There was no friendship of Chris Christie and David Wildstein during their high school days,” Hope said. “A casual acquaintance, at best.”
In recent interviews, several of Christie’s fellow players said they did not recall Wildstein and Christie being close. “I think he was the manager or the assistant manager of the team,” said Mike Inga, a former player now living in San Diego. “He used to travel. But I never saw him and Chris hanging out. It definitely wasn’t somebody that he would consider a friend.”
The flurry of activity Friday created a fresh distraction for Christie, who has been busy preparing for Sunday’s Super Bowl, which will be held in East Rutherford, N.J.
He was undeterred Friday night, however, appearing at radio personality Howard Stern’s birthday party in New York City and introducing rock star Jon Bon Jovi. Pictures on Twitter showed Christie, dressed in a suit, grasping a microphone as he addressed the glitzy crowd.
“Happy birthday, Howard,” he said, according to an account in the Newark Star-Ledger. “I’m here to bring all praise from New Jersey to Howard Stern.”
Aaron Blake contributed to this report.Aaron Blake contributed to this report.