The New Jersey lawmaker leading the investigation into lane closures on the George Washington Bridge suggested Saturday that if any evidence comes to light tying Gov. Chris Christie (R) directly to the scandal, it may be grounds for impeachment.
“Using the George Washington Bridge, a public resource, to exact a political vendetta, is a crime,” Chairman of the Assembly’s Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee John Wisniewski (D) told NBC News. “Having people use their official position to have a political game is a crime. So if those tie back to the governor in any way, it clearly becomes an impeachable offense.”
Asked about the possibility of Christie’s impeachment Sunday on CBS’ “Face The Nation,” Wisniewski cautioned that the governor has not yet been directly implicated in the plan.
“I think we’re a little early on that,” he said.
New Jersey lawmakers want to hear from Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, next in their probe. Former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive David Wildstein appeared before the committee Thursday, but invoked his Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer the committee’s questions.
Documents released Wednesday showed Kelly and Wildstein corresponding about the lane closures weeks before they occurred. “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Kelly wrote to Wildstein in August; by Sept. 9, Fort Lee, N.J.’s access lanes to the bridge had been closed, paralyzing traffic in the borough for four days.
