New report says Gov. Christie was told about bridge lane closings

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

A new report, prepared by NJ Gov. Chris Christie's lawyers, states that Christie was told of the George Washington Bridge lane closures at a function on September 11, 2013 by Port Authority official David Wildstein.

From the New York Times:

The official, David Wildstein, told Mr. Christie’s press secretary, Michael Drewniak, of the Sept. 11 conversation at a dinner in December just before his resignation from the Port Authority, according to the report.

The report said that Mr. Christie did not recall any such conversation and found no evidence that he was involved in the scheme, which snarled traffic for thousands of commuters in Fort Lee, N.J., from Sept. 9 through the morning of Sept. 12.

It bears repeating that the report was prepared by the Governor's lawyers. So the fact that would show the Governor "not recalling" a discussion about the lane closures isn't a surprise.

The report places the blame for the lane closures on former deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly. Kelly was fired in January as the lane closing scandal began to escalate. She was famously called a liar as the Governor's office sought to distance itself from blame.

At one point, according to the report, Ms. Kelly directed an assistant in the governor’s office to delete an email in which Ms. Kelly had expressed pleasure at learning that the mayor of Fort Lee was angry about the closings. “Get rid of that,” she said, according to the report. (The aide complied, but saved a copy.)

It also claims that Ms. Kelly had become “personally involved” with Bill Stepien, Mr. Christie’s two-time campaign manager and the aide who had previously held Ms. Kelly’s position.

Kelly was famously called a liar as the Governor's office sought to distance itself from blame.