# Did Christie (or his staff) intentionally cause the Fort Lee traffic jam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 9, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351 "2014-01-09T13:34:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/61 "2014-01-09T18:25:22Z")
If Wildstein took the fifth, then things could get a lot more interesting. He and others may go into cya mode and start making deals. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/62 "2014-01-09T18:25:29Z")
> [@hansel](#): > > More damaging is that David Wildstein, who actually order the lane closures on the PA side, is a Christie appointment and longtime friend, Christie addressed this in detail in his press conference. This “longtime friend” is someone he met a few times in high school and had no contact with for approx. 23 years before both ended up in NJ government. But it does make a good story. That said, Christie is one of the least odious potential candidates from the right side of the aisle. If you want the left (probably Clinton) to win, better he doesn’t run. What joyous choices we will have in 2016. Christie says he was lied to. Certainly the appointees directly responsible were not only thrown under the Christie bus, but he rolled back over them a few times. Until there is a smoking gun saying otherwise, I’ll take him at his word. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/63 "2014-01-09T18:27:37Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > If Wildstein took the fifth, then things could get a lot more interesting. He did. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/64 "2014-01-09T18:43:36Z")
Has anyone found a link to the emails? All I’ve found are tiny excerpts. One article says 23 pages of emails were publicly released. A link would be appreciated. I’m watching the hearing now. They mentioned the emails are heavily redacted. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/65 "2014-01-09T18:51:07Z")
[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-01-09/christie-bridge-traffic-scandal-probed-by-federal-prosecutors](http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-01-09/christie-bridge-traffic-scandal-probed-by-federal-prosecutors) Da Feds are on it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/66 "2014-01-09T18:53:08Z")
found the link to the full emails. pdf [http://dng.northjersey.com/media\_server/tr/2014/01/09gwb/port\_authority\_2014.pdf](http://dng.northjersey.com/media_server/tr/2014/01/09gwb/port_authority_2014.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/67 "2014-01-09T18:59:58Z")
I got a bad feeling David Wildstein will plead the 5th all the way to prison. We’ll probably never know what really happened or who else is involved. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/68 "2014-01-09T19:02:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I got a bad feeling David Wildstein will plead the 5th all the way to prison. We’ll probably never know what really happened or who else is involved. They could offer him immunity and make him talk. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/69 "2014-01-09T19:04:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > found the link to the full emails. pdf > [http://dng.northjersey.com/media\_server/tr/2014/01/09gwb/port\_authority\_2014.pdf](http://dng.northjersey.com/media_server/tr/2014/01/09gwb/port_authority_2014.pdf) Already posted in post #4 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/70 "2014-01-09T19:12:12Z")
> [@CJJ](#): > > This, to me, is what makes the retaliation so idiotic; there was so little to gain, and intimidation only works if the intimidator reveals his identity, which in this case would be political suicide. My guess is that the Christie administration expected Sokolich to know that it was done in retaliation but not be able to do anything about it. They probably figured that Sokolich wouldn’t be able to prove it was intentional and would be intimidated by the show of power. The mistake they made was forgetting that Christie is no longer just a state politician. He’s being considered as a Presidential candidate and that makes him a national figure who gets national media attention. So his administration has to stop thinking “This is the way things work in New Jersey” and start thinking “Is this something a Presidential candidate could get away with?” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/71 "2014-01-09T19:15:09Z")
It should be pointed out here that Christie used to be a federal prosecutor, so of course it’s understandable that he wasn’t all that curious about what was going on. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/72 "2014-01-09T19:28:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Has anyone found a link to the emails? All I’ve found are tiny excerpts. One article says 23 pages of emails were publicly released. A link would be appreciated. > > I’m watching the hearing now. They mentioned the emails are heavily redacted. Who the hell on that side of the equation had the legal right and authority to redact _anything_ in those emails? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/73 "2014-01-09T19:29:50Z")
With all due awe, I’m not seeing how that follows. My reading is that he is claiming not that he lacked curiosity about what was going on, but that he didn’t know it was going on. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/74 "2014-01-09T19:29:57Z")
Would the US Attorney have the right to see unredacted copies of those emails? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/75 "2014-01-09T19:30:14Z")
This does seem like a really bad script from Hollywood. This quote makes a interesting point that the Port Authority serves both states. Impinging on that role was so stupid. [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/09/who-is-david-wildstein/](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/09/who-is-david-wildstein/) > [@](#): > > While the Port Authority had historically operated independently of the governors of the two states it served, Christie named Wildstein to the authority in 2010 to increase oversight. > > “A lot of people felt afraid of him because of his direct line to the governor’s office,” Boburg said. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/76 "2014-01-09T19:31:45Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Would the US Attorney have the right to see unredacted copies of those emails? No one had the right to redact them in the first place. As far as I’m concerned this is another major fuck-up to add to the pule. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/77 "2014-01-09T19:32:31Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > With all due awe, I’m not seeing how that follows. My reading is that he is claiming not that he lacked curiosity about what was going on, but that he didn’t know it was going on. No, he didn’t claim he lacked curiosity. I’m saying I have a little trouble believing he just let the matter drop when people lied to him. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/78 "2014-01-09T19:33:01Z")
Wildstein’s attorney said in the live committee hearing that he produced the documents and redacted them. The committee chair requested a full index of each redaction and explanations. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Who the hell on that side of the equation had the legal right and authority to redact _anything_ in those emails? ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/79 "2014-01-09T19:35:48Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > This “longtime friend” is someone he met a few times in high school and had no contact with for approx. 23 years before both ended up in NJ government. Maybe. Though it does remind me of “Kenny Boy Who?” back in the halcyon days of George W. Bush. [http://www.consortiumnews.com/2002/020602a1.html](http://www.consortiumnews.com/2002/020602a1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351/80 "2014-01-09T20:22:38Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > [Washington Post’s transcript](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/transcript-chris-christies-news-conference-on-george-washington-bridge-scandal/2014/01/09/d0f4711c-7944-11e3-8963-b4b654bcc9b2_story.html) of Christie’s news conference. > > I can’t recall any politician giving this candid an apology. His disappointment in his staff seems very real. He’s going to Fort Lee this afternoon to personally apologize. Oh please. At a _minimum_, he’s guilty of creating a workplace environment where none of his staff or political appointees even think to ask, “What does the governor have to say about all this?” That’s incompetence on _his_ part right there. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I got a bad feeling David Wildstein will plead the 5th all the way to prison. We’ll probably never know what really happened or who else is involved. [Christie Point Man At The Center Of Bridge Scandal Pleads The Fifth — Held In Contempt](http://www.businessinsider.com/david-wildstein-pleads-fifth-christie-bridge-scandal-lane-closings-2014-1) A CNN anchor [suggested prosecutors threaten the COS with a charge of felony murder](http://youtu.be/wkgh2SIP8ec) to get her to testify as to Christie’s involvement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-christie-or-his-staff-intentionally-cause-the-fort-lee-traffic-jam/678351.md?page=5)