E-mails suggest Christie aides jammed traffic as political revenge

The communications show that Christie’s deputy chief of staff and two of his top appointees at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closed a pair of access lanes from Fort Lee, N.J., onto the George Washington Bridge into New York, causing days of gridlock and mayhem in the Fort Lee area in September.

Christie previously said he did not believe his office had any role in the incident, but the e-mails show otherwise — illustrating the lengths to which Christie’s lieutenants went to retaliate against a local politician who would not endorse the governor during a reelection race that was never particularly close.

The e-mails, however, do not show whether Christie was involved in the lanes closure, and the governor denied knowledge of the scheme in a statement late Wednesday.

“I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge,” Christie said. “One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better.”

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