New Jersey Governor Chris Christie publicly apologized Thursday for "the controversial lane closures last that were arranged by his associates in an apparent act of political revenge, and fired his top aide who was at the center of the scandal," Foxnews.com reported.
Bridget Anne Kelly, the governor's deputy chief of staff, played a role in the emails, which reeked of political revenge, and perhaps an abuse of power.
Up until Wednesday, the governor maintained that he did not know that his staff was involved in the incident last September "when lanes at the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, New Jersey were closed for four days. For months, Christie faced accusations the lanes were blocked in retaliation over Mayor Mark Sokolich's refusal to endorse him for reelection last November," according to news reports.
"I was blind-sided," Christie said on Thursday. He claimed Kelly "lied to him," when he asked senior staffers about the lane closures. She was fired "effective immediately." Christie also "cracked down on his former campaign manager, Bill Stepien, for his involvement in the incident," adding that he will no longer be considered for state GOP chairman.
Christie also said that he will travel later to Fort Lee to issue an apology to the mayor and the town's residents.
David Wildstein, a Christie ally and an ex-Port Authority official David Wildstein, who was deeply involved in the closures, was scheduled to testify at a state legislative hearing. "His version of events could provide new details about what happened -- though he is trying to quash the subpoena, and it's unclear whether he will ultimately testify," Foxnews.com also reported.
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Kelly wrote to Wildstein, according to The New York Times and Bergen County Record.
"The New York side gave Fort Lee back all three lanes this morning. We are appropriately going nuts. [Port Authority Chairman David] Samson helping us to retaliate." " Wildstein reportedly wrote to Kelly.
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