Official Who Ordered Lane Closures On George Washington Bridge Says Gov Christie Knew About It

The George Washington Bridge. (Photo by George Pankewytch)

 By Eric Lach

The former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive who directed the George Washington Bridge lane closures said in a letter sent through his lawyer on Friday that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) knew about the closures when they were happening.

RELATED STORY: Second Christie Pal Invokes Fifth Amendment Rights

The assertion contradicts the account of the scandal offered by Christie, who has said numerous times that he knew nothing of the closures.

The letter, obtained first by The New York Times, was sent by an attorney representing David Wildstein, the former executive, to Darrell Buchbinder, the general counsel of the Port Authority. The letter describes the September lane closures, which caused a multi-day traffic jam in the town of Fort Lee, N.J., as “the Christie administration’s order.” It also says 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 in a two-hour press conference.”

Continue Reading...