Via
The Bergen Record, two
developments in the Chris Christie lane closure scandal investigation:
Federal prosecutors investigating the George Washington Bridge lane closures have demanded documents from Governor Christie’s office, he said Monday, a development that puts him at the opposite end from the kind of probe he once led as the state’s hard-charging U.S. attorney.
Christie acknowledged the subpoenas during a radio interview Monday evening, as news broke that his former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, would not turn over documents in response to a subpoena issued by state lawmakers in a parallel investigation.
An attorney for Kelly — who wrote the message “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” — cited Kelly’s constitutional protection against self-incrimination. She joins Christie’s campaign manager as the second person to put up a roadblock to an ongoing legislative probe.
Worth remembering: Invoking the Fifth Amendment doesn't prove Kelly is hiding anything incriminating. Yes, it's true that Republicans
forgot that truth when IRS official Lois Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment rights during their "investigation" of tea party targeting, but they were wrong.
Kelly isn't the only figure in the state legislature's investigation to invoke the Fifth. David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official that she emailed about creating traffic problems in Fort Lee also invoked the Fifth as did Bill Stepien, Christie's campaign manager and former top political operative. Meanwhile, others are requesting extensions to comply with the legislature's investigation. And when The Bergen Record asked Port Authority Chairman David Samson—a key Christie ally whose law firm represents the real estate developer at the center of Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's allegations about Hurricane Sandy aid corruption—whether he was seeking an extension, his office declined to comment.
Also worth noting: The focus of federal investigators appears to be on Christie and his office, not on Kelly. According to her attorney, Kelly hasn't received any federal subpoenas. Meanwhile, as Christie acknowledged, the U.S. Attorney's office has issued subpoenas to his administration.
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