New Jersey state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D) on Wednesday condemned Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) administration for using the residents of Fort Lee, N.J. as “pawns” in what she called a “political retribution scheme.”
Documents obtained Wednesday by TPM and other news outlets showed that one of Christie’s closest aides discussed lane closures on the George Washington Bridge with the agency that oversees it weeks before the closures occurred, snarling traffic for Fort Lee residents. The mayor of the borough, Mark Sokolich, said he’s now convinced the lane closures were carried out because he didn’t endorse Christie’s re-election bid.
“This GWB debacle is shameful abuse of political power. It should have never happened and must never happen again,” Oliver said in a statement. “Fort Lee residents were used as pawns by the top members of the Christie Administration in an obvious and disgraceful political retribution scheme. The people of New Jersey deserve clear answers on why this happened.”
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the New Jersey Democratic Party have also condemned what they say were politically motivated lane closures.
