Gov. Chris Christie's office ordered to surrender text messages and phone records to state panel investigating George Washington Bridge lane closing scandal Gov. Chris Christie’s office was ordered to surrender everything from text messages to telephone records to a state committee investigating the “Bridgegate” scandal.
The Republican governor’s office was served with a detailed 12-page subpoena — one of 20 delivered in a blitz of Christie’s aides, appointees and inner circle, officials confirmed Friday.
The eight subpoenaed Christie staffers were all served at the governor’s office in Trenton.
The subpoena for Christie’s office, sent to the “Custodian of Records” in Trenton, demanded information involving the Port Authority on the Sept. 9-12 lane closings at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J.
It also requested communications on “any other matter raising concerns about abuse of government power or an attempt to conceal an abuse of government power.”
The governor’s office, like the others served, was ordered to turn over all the relevant information by Feb. 3. The governor’s reelection campaign, Chris Christie For Governor Inc., was also subpoenaed.
Among those targeted were Christie’s top three choices at the Port Authority: Chairman David Samson, ex-Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni and executive David Wildstein.
Christie’s closest advisers, from his press secretary Michael Drewniak to his chief counsel Charlie McKenna, were also served. The governor was not personally given a subpoena.
Others publicly identified Friday were Christie’s incoming chief of staff Regina Egea, reelection campaign manager Bill
Stepien, former campaign aide Matt Mowers, Evan Ridley, deputy chief of communications Maria Comella and current chief of staff Kevin O’Dowd.
Drewniak’s wife, GOP fund-raiser Nicole Davidman Drewniak, was also subpoenaed.
A pair of PA executives along with PA Police Benevolent Association head Paul Nunziato were also subpoenaed.
The most obvious name on the list was former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, fired last week as the scandal mushroomed.
Kelly has yet to speak publicly about the mess that she ordered up in an email to Wildstein, whose lawyer said his client is willing to testify about “Bridgegate” — if granted immunity.
Wildstein, forced to resign his $150,000-a-year position by the scandal, took the Fifth Amendment repeatedly when called by a state Assembly panel earlier this month.
His attorney, Alan Zegas, said Friday that the Jersey Republican would gladly answer questions under the right circumstances.
“If he has immunity from the relevant entities, he’ll talk,” Zegas told The Associated Press.
The lawyer specifically said there was no offer of immunity from the U.S. Attorney in Newark — one of several entities investigating the flap that threatened Christie’s 2016 White House hopes.
At the Jan. 9 hearing where Wildstein refused to answer questions, Zegas had suggested his client’s lips could be loosened by offers of immunity from federal prosecutors and the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey.
An earlier subpoena for documents led to Wildstein’s surrender of the damning emails that exposed the bogus “traffic study” as political payback.
Lanes at the George Washington Bridge were shut down, causing four-hour traffic jams, in a slap at the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for his refusal to endorse Christie’s runaway reelection campaign.
The assembly panel sent out 20 subpoenas on Thursday, targeting 17 people and three agencies.
The initial paperwork only requested emails and documents, rather than testimony, from its targets.
Wildstein, a high school classmate of Christie, resigned in December along with Baroni.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/gov-chris-christie-office-served-subpoena-bridgegate-probe-article-1.1583256
