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| Top Chris Christie aide criticised for 'lack of curiosity' over bridge scandal | Top Chris Christie aide criticised for 'lack of curiosity' over bridge scandal |
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| Chris Christie’s most senior aide was on Monday accused of a failure to look into the role of the New Jersey governor’s office in the George Washington bridge scandal, as he continued to deny having known about or participated in it. | Chris Christie’s most senior aide was on Monday accused of a failure to look into the role of the New Jersey governor’s office in the George Washington bridge scandal, as he continued to deny having known about or participated in it. |
| Kevin O’Dowd, Christie’s chief of staff, was criticised by state legislators after he claimed that he chose not to ask probing questions of colleagues even as allegations were being made that the closure of lanes to the bridge from Fort Lee last September had been politically motivated. | Kevin O’Dowd, Christie’s chief of staff, was criticised by state legislators after he claimed that he chose not to ask probing questions of colleagues even as allegations were being made that the closure of lanes to the bridge from Fort Lee last September had been politically motivated. |
| "What amazes me, and what I find absolutely appalling through this whole process, is the lack of curiosity,” assemblyman Louis Greenwald told O’Dowd. State senator Loretta Weinberg told O’Dowd that he and senior colleagues had displayed a “curious lack of curiosity” during the saga. | "What amazes me, and what I find absolutely appalling through this whole process, is the lack of curiosity,” assemblyman Louis Greenwald told O’Dowd. State senator Loretta Weinberg told O’Dowd that he and senior colleagues had displayed a “curious lack of curiosity” during the saga. |
| Testifying to a joint committee of the New Jersey state senate and assembly, O’Dowd insisted that he had believed his former deputy, Bridget Kelly, when she told him last December she was not responsible for orchestrating the lane closures because he had a “very high opinion” of her. | Testifying to a joint committee of the New Jersey state senate and assembly, O’Dowd insisted that he had believed his former deputy, Bridget Kelly, when she told him last December she was not responsible for orchestrating the lane closures because he had a “very high opinion” of her. |
| Contradicting the portrayal of her in a report that Christie commissioned as an erratic wildcard, O’Dowd said: “Bridget Kelly is someone I had worked with and known for four years, someone who I thought very highly of. Hardworking, energetic, loyal – someone who I believed and trusted.” | Contradicting the portrayal of her in a report that Christie commissioned as an erratic wildcard, O’Dowd said: “Bridget Kelly is someone I had worked with and known for four years, someone who I thought very highly of. Hardworking, energetic, loyal – someone who I believed and trusted.” |
| O’Dowd, who is also Christie’s nominee to be the state’s attorney general, stressed during his testimony that he gave Kelly “the benefit of the doubt” and felt no reason to question her denial even after discovering that she had been deleting some of her emails. | O’Dowd, who is also Christie’s nominee to be the state’s attorney general, stressed during his testimony that he gave Kelly “the benefit of the doubt” and felt no reason to question her denial even after discovering that she had been deleting some of her emails. |
| Emails subsequently released under subpoena showed that Kelly, then Christie’s deputy chief of staff, had in fact instructed the governor’s senior appointees on the state Port Authority that it was “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” via the closure of lanes to the bridge, which connects New Jersey with New York. | Emails subsequently released under subpoena showed that Kelly, then Christie’s deputy chief of staff, had in fact instructed the governor’s senior appointees on the state Port Authority that it was “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” via the closure of lanes to the bridge, which connects New Jersey with New York. |
| The lane closures, which were styled as a traffic study, created gridlock for several days last September in Fort Lee, the mayor of which had declined to endorse Christie’s re-election. The revelation in January that the closures were politically motivated rocked Christie’s office, prompted Kelly’s firing, and appeared to damage Christie’s prospects for a potential 2016 presidential campaign. In addition to the probe by state legislators, the US attorney for New Jersey is conducting an inquiry. | The lane closures, which were styled as a traffic study, created gridlock for several days last September in Fort Lee, the mayor of which had declined to endorse Christie’s re-election. The revelation in January that the closures were politically motivated rocked Christie’s office, prompted Kelly’s firing, and appeared to damage Christie’s prospects for a potential 2016 presidential campaign. In addition to the probe by state legislators, the US attorney for New Jersey is conducting an inquiry. |
| Attorneys hired by Christie to carry out an internal review of the scandal heaped blame on Kelly in a report released in April that cleared the governor and other senior aides of wrongdoing. Repeatedly describing Kelly as “emotional”, the attorneys said that she was “habitually concerned about how she was perceived by the governor” and concluded that “events in her personal life may have had some bearing on her subjective motivations and state of mind”. | Attorneys hired by Christie to carry out an internal review of the scandal heaped blame on Kelly in a report released in April that cleared the governor and other senior aides of wrongdoing. Repeatedly describing Kelly as “emotional”, the attorneys said that she was “habitually concerned about how she was perceived by the governor” and concluded that “events in her personal life may have had some bearing on her subjective motivations and state of mind”. |
| The report prompted a sharp rejoinder from Kelly’s own lawyers, who criticised what they called the report’s “venomous, gratuitous, and inappropriate sexist remarks”. | The report prompted a sharp rejoinder from Kelly’s own lawyers, who criticised what they called the report’s “venomous, gratuitous, and inappropriate sexist remarks”. |
| O’Dowd told the committee on Monday that he “had no prior knowledge of, or played no role in, the decision to close the lanes at the bridge last September”. He said that Christie had asked him to find out whether Kelly had, because persistent allegations of wrongdoing in press reports had become a "major distraction" following Christie’s re-election in November 2013. | O’Dowd told the committee on Monday that he “had no prior knowledge of, or played no role in, the decision to close the lanes at the bridge last September”. He said that Christie had asked him to find out whether Kelly had, because persistent allegations of wrongdoing in press reports had become a "major distraction" following Christie’s re-election in November 2013. |
| The chief of staff said that he called Kelly on her mobile phone on 12 December. “I said: ‘Did you have anything to do with closing the lanes at the George Washington Bridge?’,” he said. “She responded with: ‘Absolutely not – why are you asking me that?’.” After he explained that Christie had instructed him to ask, O’Dowd said Kelly asked: “Does he think I did?” | The chief of staff said that he called Kelly on her mobile phone on 12 December. “I said: ‘Did you have anything to do with closing the lanes at the George Washington Bridge?’,” he said. “She responded with: ‘Absolutely not – why are you asking me that?’.” After he explained that Christie had instructed him to ask, O’Dowd said Kelly asked: “Does he think I did?” |
| Asked by the committee’s co-chairman, assemblyman John Wisniewski: “Did you find her denial credible?”, O’Dowd replied: “I did,” and went on to explain that this was because of his trust in and generally high opinion of her. However, he said, he did suggest that she search through her emails and text messages for any references to the lane closures. | Asked by the committee’s co-chairman, assemblyman John Wisniewski: “Did you find her denial credible?”, O’Dowd replied: “I did,” and went on to explain that this was because of his trust in and generally high opinion of her. However, he said, he did suggest that she search through her emails and text messages for any references to the lane closures. |
| The very next day, he testified, Kelly showed him an email she had received from another colleague at the time of the lane closures, making clear that Fort Lee’s mayor was complaining. O’Dowd said he was surprised at the discovery of the email, but continued to accept Kelly’s insistence that she was not involved in the orchestration of the closures. | The very next day, he testified, Kelly showed him an email she had received from another colleague at the time of the lane closures, making clear that Fort Lee’s mayor was complaining. O’Dowd said he was surprised at the discovery of the email, but continued to accept Kelly’s insistence that she was not involved in the orchestration of the closures. |
| Kelly, however, even informed O’Dowd that she deleted some of her emails, an apparent breach of state employees’ obligation to preserve their work records. O’Dowd testified that he did not ask Kelly what emails she was deleting or tell her to stop. However, he said that he did ask whether she had deleted emails relevant to the lane closures, and Kelly said that she did not believe so. | Kelly, however, even informed O’Dowd that she deleted some of her emails, an apparent breach of state employees’ obligation to preserve their work records. O’Dowd testified that he did not ask Kelly what emails she was deleting or tell her to stop. However, he said that he did ask whether she had deleted emails relevant to the lane closures, and Kelly said that she did not believe so. |
| O’Dowd was accompanied by his personal attorney, who frequently clashed with legislators over their lines of questioning. | O’Dowd was accompanied by his personal attorney, who frequently clashed with legislators over their lines of questioning. |
| O’Dowd testified that after he spoke with Kelly on 12 December, he was dispatched by Christie to tell Bill Baroni, then the deputy executive director of the Port Authority, that Baroni was to be removed from his job. Insisting that there was already a plan to move Baroni from the position as he was “burnt out”, O’Dowd said: “I understood that the acceleration had something to do with the lane closures.” But he claimed to have not asked Christie to elaborate on this, nor to have asked Baroni questions about what had happened. | O’Dowd testified that after he spoke with Kelly on 12 December, he was dispatched by Christie to tell Bill Baroni, then the deputy executive director of the Port Authority, that Baroni was to be removed from his job. Insisting that there was already a plan to move Baroni from the position as he was “burnt out”, O’Dowd said: “I understood that the acceleration had something to do with the lane closures.” But he claimed to have not asked Christie to elaborate on this, nor to have asked Baroni questions about what had happened. |
| Pressed by Greenwald to answer the scandal's central question, which remains unanswered – why exactly the lanes were closed – O'Dowd replied: "I don't know the answer". Asked if he blamed Wildstein for orchestrating the closure, O'Dowd said: "I think that with respect to this committee and the multiple ongoing inquiries, I don't think I should venture a guess". | |
| “The lack of curiosity about what happened, and why – I just can’t get my arms around it,” Greenwald said to O’Dowd. | “The lack of curiosity about what happened, and why – I just can’t get my arms around it,” Greenwald said to O’Dowd. |