A New Jersey State Assembly committee subpoenaed 18 of Gov. Chris Christie's top aides and appointees in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Friday to find out how many government officials helped create a huge four-day traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J. as political payback against the borough's mayor.
The subpoenas name several of Christie's Port Authority appointees, as well as nearly everyone in his administration, including Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Stepien, the governor's former deputy chief of staff and former campaign manager, respectively, both of whom Christie fired for their involvement in the scandal. His press secretary Michael Drewniak, who documents show was aggressive in his efforts to prevent the media from getting more information about the mysterious traffic jam, has also been subpoenaed, as have the Office of the Governor and Chris Christie For Governor, Inc., his reelection campaign. The only one that hasn't been subpoenaed is Christie himself.
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Although the governor's staff has been rocked by the scandal, Christie maintains that he was no more aware of the political retribution plan than the public was, and there is so far no evidence to suggest otherwise.
Rumors that the traffic jam was caused by something aside from the supposed "traffic study" had been around since the gridlock occurred last September, but the scandal erupted on Jan. 8 when emails between Kelly and a Christie appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were made public. Those emails showed some of the governor's staff had collaborated with members of the Port Authority to close two lanes of the George Washington Bridge for four days as a way to get back at Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing the governor's reelection bid. The immense amount of traffic frustrated commuters trying to drive to New York City, prevented school buses from getting to class on time and prevented emergency vehicles from reaching patients.
Christie fired Kelly and Stepien almost immediately. The two Port Authority officials involved had already resigned, and Drewniak was pulled into the fray when the state assembly released more than 900 documents on Jan. 10 that showed the press secretary aggressively and systematically avoided any media requests related to the traffic jam.
The Democrat-led investigation panel is reportedly considering other people to subpoena, though names have not been released. The New Jersey Senate also formed a group on Thursday to investigate the same matter.
For now, the scandal stands as one that has ruffled Christie's administration but, according to some polls, has not done much to damage his standing as a potential presidential candidate in 2016. He maintains that he was just as stunned as the public by the revelations, and that he had no involvement.
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