Aides back Hoboken mayor's story as FBI investigates Sandy corruption claim

Looks like Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's allegation that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's lieutenant governor linked Hurricane Sandy relief aid to a billion-dollar real estate development in Hoboken isn't going to fade quietly away:

Federal authorities in New Jersey have interviewed several witnesses who said the mayor of Hoboken told them in May about a state official’s threat to withhold hurricane recovery funds if the mayor did not support a development project favored by the governor, people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

The statements by the witnesses, two of whom are aides to the mayor, Dawn Zimmer, support the account she gave to federal prosecutors on Sunday, and the interviews suggest that prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have moved swiftly to investigate her accusations.

The aides said she had told them about the threat by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, shortly after it occurred, according to two people briefed on the matter.

The interviews are important because the fact that Zimmer privately told people the same thing that she's now saying publicly enhances the credibility of her allegation. In all, she says she told five people:

The two Zimmer aides are among at least five witnesses who Zimmer told the FBI could confirm that she had previously told them about the conversation she says she had with Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno last May.

Kim Guadagno, the lieutenant governor, has denied Zimmer's accusations.