(Ed. Note -- This is the second in a continuing series attempting to expose Chris Christie as the right wing dissembler that he is. The first was about his willfully ignorant position on ACA state exchanges. I am going to try to weave "Tunnel" into any diary about Chris Christie, no matter what the subject. His Tunnel-cide of the Hudson River project was an opportunistic disgrace, for which he has suffered no consequences. Who will suffer? Anyone who breathes the air on both sides of the Hudson, anyone who vegetates in a car for an unnecessary hour on that hellish circular ramp on the Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel, anyone would have gotten years' worth of employment on the project and all of us for the lost economic development of the region and country.)
What is it with Chris Christie and Hudson River Crossings?
This question requires a Cavuto Mark:*
Did Chris Chris Christie Deliberately Close Lanes on the George Washington Bridge To Punish Mayor for Not Supporting Him [?]
Except here there's actual evidence that should be investigated
(via Steve Benen).
This story arose a few weeks ago, and there were new developments last week on whether the Governor and his Port Authority ally actually created a dangerous lane closing on the Bridge because the Ft. Lee mayor did not support Christie' reelection. On Friday, David Wildstein, a Christie ally, resigned from his post at the Port Authority, claiming that the controversy over the closing was a "distraction."
The Authority had claimed that the closing of two Bridge lanes was for a "traffic study." However, as the Newark Star Ledger points out in an editorial, Port Authority Engineers said they knew nothing of any study:
How do you study traffic and block lanes without notifying police, ambulance drivers or even your own bridge employees? The official “traffic study” excuse strains believability.
Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), who chairs the transportation committee, ordered [Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye] subpoenaed. More subpoenas should follow. At a minimum, [Port Authority deputy executive director Bill Baroni] and David Wildstein, the underling who ordered the Fort Lee blockade, should be ordered to Trenton, too – and told to bring documents proving the study exists.
By choking off Fort Lee’s bridge access, these bureaucrats caused irresponsibly dangerous traffic jams. The catastrophe they risked heightens the demand for answers. After months of bluffs and deception, it’s time for lawmakers to stop asking nicely. Subpoenas will send that message.
As Steve Benen wrote, this story seemed impossible to believe ---- prior to Wildstein's resignation. Is it in keeping with a Governor who schedules an election costing $12 million just to assure his own victory? Who gets kicks out of yelling at teachers?
If this story is true, what does that say about the Governor's "Presidential Temperament[?]"*
* [?] = Cavuto Mark