New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's line is that not only did he know nothing about the lane closures to the George Washington Bridge that gridlocked the area for four days in September, he also rarely spoke to David Wildstein, the Port Authority official who created the traffic jam. "I have had no contact with David Wildstein in a long time, a long time, well before the election," Christie said at his epic press conference last week. "You know, I could probably count on one hand the number of conversations I’ve had with David since he worked at the Port Authority. I did not interact with David." As it turns out, "well before the election" means "on September 11,
during the lane closures."
Gov. Chris Christie was with the official who arranged the closure of local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 11, 2013 — the third day of the closures, and well after they had triggered outrage from local officials beset by heavy traffic. [...]
Also present with Mr. Christie that day were Bill Baroni, the authority’s deputy executive director, who was helping Mr. Wildstein manage the fallout from the closures among local officials, subpoenaed documents show. Also there was David Samson, the Port Authority chairman and close Christie ally, who has said he didn’t learn of the lane closures and traffic in Fort Lee, N.J., until an email from a New York port official ordered the lane closures reversed. Messrs. Samson and Baroni didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Christie and Wildstein aren't commenting on what they might have discussed that day. But, if we believe Christie when he says he had no idea what was going on and that he was lied to, this ratchets up the questions about his weak management skills and total lack of oversight over his senior staff and appointees. Of course, that's a really big if in "if we believe Christie," especially considering the new information that he was with Wildstein during the lane closures.