Another Connection Emerges Between Christie Pals Linked To Traffic Jam
Source: TPM
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We already knew top Republican lobbyist Jeff Michaels was the brother of a Port Authority cop who has come under scrutiny in the George Washington Bridge scandal. However, TPM has learned Michaels also has strong ties to another man involved in the growing investigation.
Michaels used to write for a politics website that, at the time, was run by David Wildstein, a former Port Authority official who orchestrated the September lane closures on the bridge. Michaels' name first came up in conjunction with the scandal over the weekend when an MSNBC report revealed that his brother, Port Authority Police Lt. Thomas "Chip" Michaels, drove Wildstein around the bridge during the closures and texted him updates on the ensuing traffic. The network also reported Chip Michaels had a personal connection to the governor, including coaching Christie's son's hockey team.
State lawmakers and federal prosecutors have been investigating allegations that Christie's administration shut down lanes on the bridge in September to cause a traffic jam in nearby Fort Lee, N.J. because the mayor there refused to endorse the governor's re-election bid. In recent days, authorities have taken a special interest in Lieutenant Michaels, with the Port Authority launching an internal probe and one New Jersey lawmaker saying she expects he will get a subpoena. Wildstein resigned from the Port Authority, which oversees the bridge, in December amid mounting questions about the closures. Records subpoenaed by the state Legislature's committee investigating the matter later showed Wildstein played a role in the order to shut the lanes.
Prior to his appointment to the Port Authority, Wildstein anonymously edited the influential local news site PolitickerNJ.com using the pseudonym "Wally Edge." Wildstein's identity was revealed when he left the site to take the Port Authority job in June 2010.
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