The big question at the center of the George Washington Bridge-closing scandal detonating in New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s offices today is “how much did he know?” Governor Christie told press today, in so many words: nothing. Christie has been on the record many times saying he was uninvolved in the lane closure and it was not politically motivated, but leaked emails and text messages from his close aides yesterday reveal that the whole thing was done out of spite against Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich, who refused to give Christie his endorsement. The lane closures threw the traffic of Fort Lee into a nightmarish gridlock (school buses were delayed and at least one person died while an ambulance was stuck.) Christie is maintaining his innocence, calling the whole thing “completely unacceptable” and firing the aid who sent the condemning emails.
It comes at a tough time for Christie, who has wide bi-partisan support and was considered a frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, but has had to frequently fight off accusations of being a bully …
