NJ Democrats intensify, widen scope of Christie-scandal probe

Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J.

Democrats in New Jersey sharpened their aim at Republican Gov. Chris Christie on Monday, forming special legislative committees to explore the role politics played in traffic jams last fall and announcing that the investigation has grown into an abuse-of-power probe.

The intensifying investigation, which threatens to undermine Christie’s second term and his chances at a 2016 presidential run, revealed last week that high-ranking Christie aides and appointees were involved in ordering lane closings in September as apparent political payback that led to massive gridlock in the town of Fort Lee.

A new special Assembly committee, given subpoena power and a special counsel, will be charged with finding out how high the plot went up Christie’s chain of command, said a leading state Democrat, Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald.

“It is clearly an abuse of power,” he said. “The question is, who abused their power and how high did it go?”

The committee will focus exclusively on the traffic jams in Fort Lee, whose mayor has said he believes the lanes were closed to punish him for not endorsing Christie. The panel will be led by the head of the Assembly transportation committee, John Wisniewski, who launched the initial investigation into the lane closings.

The state Senate announced that it planned to establish its own committee, also with subpoena power.

Christie has apologized over the lane closings but denied involvement. He also fired a top aide and cut ties with a political adviser who’d been widely seen as a potential campaign manager if Christie runs for president. Wisniewski said Monday that both of them could receive subpoenas soon, though he could subpoena their emails first.

Christie also faces renewed interest in the state’s use of $25 million in federal money for an ad campaign to promote New Jersey tourism after superstorm Sandy. U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, announced Monday that the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will audit the campaign.

Christie and his family appeared in the ads. His administration chose a politically connected public relations company over another firm that had bid $2 million less. The winning bidder proposed using Christie in the ads, while the other did not.