Christie "Flat-Out Lied" About Staff Unaware Of Bridgegate

In a pretty substantial blow to whatever little credibility Chris Christie has left on the Bridgegate scandal in New Jersey, a senior aide to the Governor accused Christie of lying when he told a press conference that neither his senior staff or campaign manager had any knowledge of or involvement in the bridge closures. Christina Renna, Christie’s director of intergovernmental affairs, texted a Christie campaign staffer contemporaneously with one of Christie’s initial news conferences after the scandal broke, writing, “Are you listening? He just flat out lied about senior staff and Stepien not being involved”. Stepien is Bill Stepien who was Christie’s campaign manager at the time. Renna continued, “But he lied. And if emails are found with subpoena or ccfg emails are uncovered in discovery if it comes to that it could be bad”. Yesterday, Christie shrugged off this report by saying, “There’s nothing new to talk about.” Unfortunately for Christie, this is something new as this is the first contemporaneous document that indicates Christie was lying in his press conference. Even worse, Renna deleted the text message after the New Jersey Legislature issued subpoenas in the matter and also did not mention it in her appearance before a joint investigative panel. Meanwhile, the dispute between Christie and Senate President Sweeney over tax cuts to offset the necessary increase in the gas tax has halted pretty much all road repair work in New Jersey as the transportation fund is basically depleted. It is really no wonder that nearly two thirds of Jersey voters disapprove of Christie’s performance.