Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a statement Wednesday accused New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) of exacting political retribution on a Democratic mayor who didn’t endorse his re-election bid.
After documents obtained by TPM and other news outlets connected one of Christie’s closest aides to lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that caused traffic mayhem in Fort Lee, N.J., Mayor Mark Sokolich told the Wall Street Journal that he had been the victim of “political payback.”
Christie repeatedly denied he was involved in the closures, which Schultz said was “clearly untrue given the discovery of emails that came directly from his own top staff.”
Read Schultz’s full statement below:
“The latest news in Chris Christie’s bridge scandal indicates political retribution and raises a host of new questions. What is crystal clear is that the Governor’s office ordered lane closures that were intended to make first responders experience delays, kids sit gridlocked on the first day of school, and commuters hit log jams, to punish the Democratic mayor who didn’t endorse Chris Christie’s reelection bid.
“These revelations are troubling for any public official, but they also indicate what we’ve come to expect from Governor Christie – when people oppose him, he exacts retribution. When people question him, he belittles and snidely jokes. And when anyone dares to look into his Administration, he bullies and attacks.
“For 121 days, Chris Christie disparaged the questioners and later lied saying no one in his office was involved. That was clearly untrue given the discovery of emails that came directly from his own top staff. Time’s up, Governor.”
