Everything You Need to Know About Chris Christie’s ‘Bridgegate’ Scandal
It’s undoubtedly the biggest news story of the week — at least on cable news, and especially on CNN and MSNBC — but what is this whole “bridge thing” (as Fox’s Steve Doocy calls it) all about? Below is our breakdown of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s “Bridgegate” scandal: What it entails, why you should care and what it means for his future.
What exactly happened?
The whole thing dates back to last fall as Christie was approaching his landslide victory reelection against Democratic opponent Barbara Buono. On September 9th, 2013, the first day of school for millions of New Jersey children, Port Authority closed down two of the three lanes access lanes connecting Fort Lee, NJ to the George Washington bridge. Port Authority officials claim the lanes were closed as part of a “traffic study.” Hours-long commute delays ensue.
Why are we just finding out about this now?
It turns out there may not have been a “traffic study” at all and if it did exist, it was just cover for the true purpose behind the lane closures –payback. Subpoenaed emails released this past Wednesday January 8th revealed that the lane closures were actually political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, who had refused to endorse Christie’s reelection bid. The damning emails were between Christie deputy Bridget Anne Kelly and David Wildstein, the Christie-appointed Port Authority executive who ordered the lane closures.
“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Kelly emailed Wildstein.
“Got it,” he replied.
Did Christie order this bizarre piece of political revenge?
According to Christie, he had no idea any of this was happening on his behalf. First, he issued the statement below, decrying the “unacceptable” behavior and vowing to hold the guilty parties “responsible for their actions”:
What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge.
One thing is clear: This type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions.
When that didn’t quell the uproar, Christie held a two hour press conference to say definitively, in as many variations as he could muster, that he had nothing to do with the bridge lane closures and had no idea the political retribution that was taking place behind his back.
Watch Christie’s opening statement below, via Fox News:
Who is being “held responsible”?
Christie announced that he has fired Bridget Anne Kelly, saying, “I terminated her because she lied to me. There’s no justification for ever lying to a governor or a person with authority in this government.”
Didn’t a 91-year-old woman die due to the massive traffic delays?
Yes, 91-year-old Florence Genova died of cardiac arrest when an ambulance was delayed in reaching her home on the morning of September 9th. No, she didn’t die because of Bridgegate. Genova’s daughter Vilma Oleri told The New York Times, “I honestly believe it was just her time” and that the traffic could not be blamed for her mother’s death.
What does Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich think about all this?
Sokolich has been very vocal about his outrage over the political move, telling MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that David Wildstein “deserves an ass-kicking” and accusing Christie of the “lowest, most venomous form of political retaliation.”
However, Sokolich did accept Christie’s apology Thursday and taking the governor at his word that he had nothing to do with the decision to close the bridge lanes.
What happens if it turns out Christie did have prior knowledge about — or even directed — the decision to cause the bridge traffic?
Commentators of all stripes agree: Christie’s denial was so emphatic during his press conference Thursday that if any proof emerges that he knew about the scandal before he says he did, his promising political career will effectively be over.
If he was involved, CNN conservative pundit S.E. Cupp said he might as well “resign now.” Fox’s The Five hosts said he’s given himself “zero wiggle room.” And MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has been saying Christie knew more than he’s been letting on since last month.
Who’s still defending Christie?
Pretty much just Bill O’Reilly, Rudy Giuliani and Shaq.
What does this mean for Christie’s political future?
As a moderate Republican from a blue state, Christie has been viewed as one of the GOP’s best hopes at regaining the White House in 2016. As recent, premature polls have indicated, he’s the only Republican who comes close in a hypothetical match-up with Hillary Clinton. But this scandal could taint him, whether more damning information comes out or not.
Christie insists he’s “not a bully,” but it could be hard for voters to look past a governor whose aides would find it acceptable to snarl traffic for thousands of commuters just to exact some political revenge. As David Gregory put it on Hardball Friday, Christie’s had a “good ride in the media,” but this scandal could change all that. Chris Matthews took things a few steps further, declaring Christie has officially lost his 2016 “frontrunner” status whether he knew anything else about the scandal or not.
And with a U.S. attorney expected to start investigating Christie’s possible involvement, it’s unlikely this story will go away any time soon. If criminal or civil charges are brought against the governor, it would be hard to see how he recovers.
Mediaite will continue to bring you the latest developments on the “Bridgegate” scandal as they happen. Stay tuned…
UPDATE (1/13/14 11:45am ET): You can now look at all of the released documents pertaining to Christie’s “Bridgegate” scandal here.
[photo via screengrab]
— —
>> Follow Matt Wilstein (@TheMattWilstein) on Twitter
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
