A political cartoon shows New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a bully in the #Bridgegate scandal.
In what sounds like an episode straight out of House of Cards, Gov. Chris Christie is in major damage-control mode as the Bridgegate scandal heats up.
Largely seen as an act of pure political retribution, the New Jersey governor’s administration shut down the George Washington Bridge in September 2013, causing massive gridlocks for days. (The George Washington Bridge connects New York City and New Jersey across the Hudson River and is the world’s busiest bridge.)
While Christie’s administration originally claimed the closure was related to traffic studies, emails uncovered within the last 24 hours point to a far more sinister motive: revenge against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who refuses to endorse Christie for re-election.
The mails uncovered show exchanges between David Wildstein and a member of Christie’s administration which clearly show the George Washington bridge closure was far more than a routine traffic study. USA Today notes the oddities that surround the incident, notably that the bridge closure came on the first day of school, without notice to local police, and community complaints about the closure were ignored. The media has dubbed the scandal #Bridgegate.
Wildstein, who is believed to have orchestrated the entire traffic disaster, refused to answer questions today during a New Jersey hearing. NBC News reports Wildstein served as the director of interstate capital projects for the Port Authority but resigned in December 2013.
Gov. Christie denies any knowledge of the bridge closure but political commentators are skeptical.
Photo courtesy of Sheri Peterson/Twitter
