DOCSLIB.ORG

OGNJ-LEG-057398 I'm Not Completed with Those Interviews Yet, but When I Am, If There Is Additional Information That Needs to Be Disclosed, I Will Do So

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
OGNJ-LEG-057398 I'm Not Completed with Those Interviews Yet, but When I Am, If There Is Additional Information That Needs to Be Disclosed, I Will Do So GWB Press Conference - January 9. 2014 Opening Remarks Good morning. I come out here to this office where I've been many times before and I come out here today to apologize to the people of New Jersey. I apologize to the people of Fort Lee and I apologize to the members of the state Legislature. I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team. There's no doubt in my mind that the conduct that they exhibited is completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and for the people that we’re trusted to serve. Two pieces to what I want to talk about today. The first is, I believe that all of the people who were affected by this conduct deserve this apology and that's why I'm giving it to them. I also need to apologize to them for my failure as the Governor of this state to understand the true nature of this problem sooner than I did. But I believe I have an understanding now of the true nature of the problem and I've taken the following action as a result: this morning I've terminated the employment of Bridget Kelly, effective immediately. I've terminated her employment because she lied to me. I brought my senior staff together I think about four weeks ago tomorrow. And I put to all of them one simple challenge: If there is any information that you know about the decision to close these lanes in Fort Lee, you have one hour to tell either my chief of staff, Kevin O'Dowd, or my chief counsel, Charlie McKenna. I told them that in an hour I was going to go out in a press conference, and if no one gave me other information to the contrary that I was going to say that no one on my staff was involved in this matter. Over the course of the next hour, Kevin and Charlie interviewed each member of my senior staff, came back and reported to me that they all reported that there was no information other than what we already knew that had been testified to by Senator Baroni regarding this incident. I then questioned Kevin O'Dowd and Charlie McKenna directly, since they are the only two who report directly to me, and they assured me that they had no information that would change my ability to be able to say that no one, in response in Angie's question, on my staff was involved in this matter. That was obviously a lie. And the e-mails that I saw for the first time yesterday morning, when they were broken in I believe theBergen Record story, proved that that was a lie. There's no justification for that behavior. There's no justification for ever lying to a governor or a person in authority in this government. And as a result. I've terminated Bridget's employment immediately this morning. Secondly, I have and will continue to, started yesterday, to once again now have personal one- on-one discussions myself with the remaining members of my senior staff to determine if there's any other information that I do not know and need to know in order to take appropriate action. Page 1 of 30 OGNJ-LEG-057398 I'm not completed with those interviews yet, but when I am, if there is additional information that needs to be disclosed, I will do so. if there's additional actions that need to be taken with my senior staff, i will do so. I will tell you though, it's been written a lot over the last couple of days about what a tight-knit staff I have and how closely everyone works together, and that is true. And ever since the time I was U.S. Attorney, i've engendered the sense and feeling among the people closest to me that we're a family, and we work together and we tell each other truth, we support each other when we need to be supported, and we admonish each other when we need to be admonished. I am heartbroken that someone who I permitted to be in that circle of trust for the last five years betrayed my trust. I would never have come out here four or five weeks ago and made a joke about these lane closures if I had ever had an inkling that anyone on my staff would have been so stupid but to be involved and then so deceitful as to just to not disclose the information of their involvement to me when directly asked by their superior. And those questions were not asked, by the way, just once; they were asked repeatedly. So I take this action today because it's my job. I am responsible for what happened. I am sad to report to the people of New Jersey that we fell short. We fell short of the expectations that we've created over the last four years for the type of excellence in government that they should expect from this office. But I have repeatedly said to them that while I promise them the best governor's office I can give them, I could never promise them a perfect governor's office. And so when I find those imperfections, those mistakes, those lies, my obligation as the chief executive of this state is to act. And as to Bridget Kelly, I've acted today. Secondly, I was disturbed by the tone and behavior and attitude of callous indifference that was displayed in the e-mails by my former campaign manager. Bill Stepien. And reading that, it made me lose my confidence in Bill's judgment. And you cannot have someone at the top of your political operation who you do not have confidence in. As a result. I've instructed Bill Stepien to not place his name in nomination for state party chairman, and he will not be considered for state party chairman, and I've instructed him to withdraw his consultancy with the Republican Governors Association. If I cannot trust someone's judgment, I cannot ask others to do so, and I would not place him at the head of my political operation because of the lack of judgment that was shown in the e-mails that were revealed yesterday. That has also been communicated to Mr. Stepien last night. There's no doubt that Bill has been one of my closest advisers over the last five years. And so for that too I am sad today to have to take this action. But I also know that I have a job to do. And it's the job that I've asked the people of New Jersey to entrust me with. And I can never allow personal feelings or long­ standing relationships to get in the way of doing my job the way it's appropriate to do it. But I don't want any of you to confuse what I'm saying this morning. Ultimately I am responsible for what happens under my watch, the good and the bad. And when mistakes are made, then I have to own up to them and take the action that I believe is necessary in order to remediate them. As I mentioned to you earlier, I spent all day yesterday digging into, talking to folks, and getting to the bottom of things. I know there was much discussion yesterday about what was I doing. Page 2 of 30 OGNJ-LEG-057399 Well, let me tell you, everybody, I was blindsided yesterday morning. I was done with my workout yesterday morning and got a call from my communications director at about 8:50, 8:55, informing me of this story that had just broken onBergen the Record website. That was the first time I knew about this. It’s the first time I had seen any of the documents that were revealed yesterday. And so before I came out and spoke to all of you, I wanted to do the best I could to try to get to the bottom on some of this so that when I came out I could answer questions as best I can and take appropriate action if action was necessary. There was no doubt from reading those e-mails yesterday, in my mind, that action was necessary. And then I wanted to make sure that I spoke to those people who advise me to make sure if there was any other information they were aware of, that I had it before I acted. I'm going to continue this process. I couldn't get it all done yesterday. And as I said, if there's more information that I uncover. I'll act accordingly in terms of releasing it to the public and taking whatever action may be necessary, if any is, for any other issues. And also, we'll react to any information that's incoming from anyplace else, given that there's an OIG investigation and a legislative investigation. Later today I'm going to be going to Fort Lee, asked to meet with the mayor to apologize to him personally, face to face, and also to apologize to the people of Fort Lee in their town. I think they need to see me do that personally, and I intend to do that later on today. People of those communities for four days were impacted in a completely callous and indifferent way, and I'm going to go and apologize for that.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • United States Attorney District of New Jersey
    United States Attorney District of New Jersey FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Matthew Reilly July 12, 2017 Office of Public Affairs www.justice.gov/usao/nj (973) 645-2888 FORMER PORT AUTHORITY OFFICIAL SENTENCED FOR HIS ROLE IN SCHEME TO PUNISH FORT LEE MAYOR FOR NOT ENDORSING GOVERNOR’S RE-ELECTION NEWARK, N.J. – A former official of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was sentenced today to three years’ probation for using the authority’s resources to facilitate and conceal the cause of traffic problems in Fort Lee, New Jersey, to punish that borough’s mayor for not endorsing Gov. Chris Christie’s re-election. David Wildstein, 55, the former director of Interstate Capital Projects at the Port Authority, pleaded guilty on May 1, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an information charging him with two counts of conspiracy for his role in the scheme. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. Wildstein, William E. Baroni Jr., 45, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority, and Bridget Anne Kelly, 44, former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Christie, engaged in a scheme to manufacture traffic problems in Fort Lee by reducing from three to one the number of local access lanes to the upper level of the George Washington Bridge. Baroni and Kelly were both convicted at trial for their respective roles in the scheme. On March 29, 2017, Judge Wigenton sentenced Baroni to 24 months in prison and Kelly to 19 months in prison. “As we said in our motion to the Court, although David Wildstein was the architect of this criminal scheme and a force behind its cover-up, he accepted responsibility for his actions and admitted his guilt,” Acting U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • 2017 NJSBA Annual Meeting Pursuing Truth and Justice: An
    2017 NJSBA Annual Meeting Pursuing Truth and Justice: An Examination of How Independent Courts and an Independent Media are Essential to Our Democracy Co-Sponsored by the Media Law Committee and the New Jersey State Bar Foundation Moderator/Speaker: Ralph J. Lamparello, Esq., NJSBA Past President Chasan Lamparello Mallon & Cappuzzo, PC, Secaucus Speakers: Thomas Cafferty, Esq. Gibbons, PC, Newark Kate Coscarelli, Senior Managing Director of Communications and Media Relations New Jersey State Bar Association Tom Moran, Editorial Page Editor The Star-Ledger Paula Saha, Director of Events, Audience & Donor Development NJ Spotlight Charles Stile, Columnist The Bergen Record Capitol Report January 30, 2017 REGULATING 'FRAUD NEWS' By Ari Melber Melber is the chief legal correspondent at MSNBC. He served on a panel discussion, “Election Politics and More,” presented by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education last fall. Barack Obama hates it. So does Donald Trump. The rise of ‘fake news’ has drawn widespread condemnation, though the meaning of the label itself is now a matter of political dispute. Obama has criticized fake news based on its original definition—patently false disinformation masquerading as journalism. A few weeks after the November election, he lamented the impact of "active misinformation" that is "packaged" to deceive, so it "looks the same when you see it on a Facebook page" as a legitimate article. A false item claiming the Pope endorsed Trump, for example, was one of the top election ‘stories’ on Facebook, according to a Buzzfeed analysis. That means millions of Americans wrongly thought they were reading and sharing something that happened (it didn't) from a news source (it wasn't).
    [Show full text]
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    No. 18-1059 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States BRIDGET ANNE KELLY, Petitioner, v. UNITED STATES, Respondent. On Writ of Certiorari To The United States Court of Appeals For The Third Circuit JOINT APPENDIX (VOLUME II OF II) (Pages 511–1017) Jeffrey B. Wall Yaakov M. Roth Counsel of Record Counsel of Record ACTING SOLICITOR GENERAL JONES DAY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 51 Louisiana Ave., NW 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 Washington, DC 20530 (202) 879-3939 (202) 514-2217 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for Petitioner Counsel for Respondent United States (Additional counsel listed on inside cover) PETITION FOR CERTIORARI FILED FEBRUARY 12, 2019 CERTIORARI GRANTED JUNE 28, 2019 Michael A. Levy Counsel of Record SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP 787 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10019 (212) 839-7341 [email protected] Counsel for Respondent William Baroni (continued from front cover) i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page VOLUME I Docket Entries, United States of America v. Bridget Kelly, No. 17-1818 (3d Cir.) .............................................. 1 Docket Entries, United States of America v. William Baroni, Jr., No. 17-1817 (3d Cir.) .............................................. 8 Docket Entries, United States of America v. William Baroni, Jr., et al., No. 2:15-cr-00193 (D.N.J.) ................................... 13 Materials from District Court Proceedings No. 2:15-cr-00193 (D.N.J.) Indictment (Dkt. # 1) (04/23/2015) .......................................... 20 Excerpts of Memorandum in Support of the United States of America’s Motions In Limine (Dkt. # 149) (08/09/2016) ...................................... 61 Excerpts of Trial Transcript (Dkt. # 190) (09/19/2016) ...................................... 66 Excerpts of Trial Transcript (Dkt.
    [Show full text]
  • Power List 2019
    NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 1 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 PROVEN LEADERS IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY With a unique blend of public sector insight and private sector expertise, O’Toole Scrivo delivers effective and innovative solutions to its clients, especially when the stakes are highest. www.oslaw.com 14 Village Park Road, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 • 973.239.5700 Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, 59th Floor, New York, NY 10118 • 888.663.1117 2 OS_2018 NJGlobe_ad.indd 1 10/4/18 10:29 PM NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 3 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 is proud to support NEW JERSEY GLOBE & CONGRATULATES OUR COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS named to the 2019 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST Sean M. Darcy, President PO Box 397, Belmar, NJ 07719 | 609-610-0543 NEW JERSEY GLOBE POWER LIST 2019 EDITOR’S NOTE NE OF THE POLITICAL allegories of The Wizard of Oz came when Dorothy threw a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch and melted her. That caused the palace guards, once fiercely loyal to the powerful witch, to drop to their knees and Oproclaim, “Hail to Dorothy, the Wicked Witch is dead.” Everybody wants to be with the winner, espe- cially in New Jersey. That’s why political power is ephemeral, on a good day. The way to know that is this: start writing down the names of every person who served as chief of staff to the governor of New Jersey. There’s a decent chance you’ll miss Amy Cradic, who held the job less than two years ago.
    [Show full text]
  • Hearing Unit Cover and Text
    Committee Meeting of ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS AND INDEPENDENT AUTHORITIES COMMITTEE “The committee has subpoenaed David Wildstein, the former Director of Interstate Capital Projects for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, concerning the decision by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reduce, without prior public notice, the number of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey, from September 9, 2013 through September 13, 2013” LOCATION: Committee Room 11 DATE: January 9, 2014 State House Annex 12:00 p.m. Trenton, New Jersey MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE PRESENT: Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, Chair Assemblywoman Linda Stender, Vice Chair Assemblywoman Marlene Caride Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson Assemblyman Ruben J. Ramos Jr. Assemblywoman Celeste M. Riley Assemblyman John F. Amodeo Assemblyman Scott T. Rumana Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf Assemblyman David W. Wolfe ALSO PRESENT: Charles A. Buono Jr. Jillian Dempsey Glen Beebe Patrick Brennan Assembly Majority Assembly Republican Office of Legislative Services Committee Aide Committee Aide Committee Aides Meeting Recorded and Transcribed by The Office of Legislative Services, Public Information Office, Hearing Unit, State House Annex, PO 068, Trenton, New Jersey TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Alan L. Zegas, Esq. Representing David M. Wildstein 2 David M. Wildstein Private Citizen 12 APPENDIX: *Note: Due to the size of the Appendix material, all Appendix documents are available online at the New Jersey Legislature’s website at www.njleg.state.nj.us Exhibit A submitted to the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee from David M.
    [Show full text]
  • Documents in the Appeal Numbers Assigned to the Filing Appellant, Filed
    No. 18-1059 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States BRIDGET ANNE KELLY, Petitioner, v. UNITED STATES, Respondent. On Writ of Certiorari To The United States Court of Appeals For The Third Circuit JOINT APPENDIX (VOLUME I OF II) (Pages 1–510) Jeffrey B. Wall Yaakov M. Roth Counsel of Record Counsel of Record ACTING SOLICITOR GENERAL JONES DAY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 51 Louisiana Ave., NW 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 Washington, DC 20530 (202) 879-3939 (202) 514-2217 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for Petitioner Counsel for Respondent United States (Additional counsel listed on inside cover) PETITION FOR CERTIORARI FILED FEBRUARY 12, 2019 CERTIORARI GRANTED JUNE 28, 2019 Michael A. Levy Counsel of Record SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP 787 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10019 (212) 839-7341 [email protected] Counsel for Respondent William Baroni (continued from front cover) i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page VOLUME I Docket Entries, United States of America v. Bridget Kelly, No. 17-1818 (3d Cir.) .............................................. 1 Docket Entries, United States of America v. William Baroni, Jr., No. 17-1817 (3d Cir.) .............................................. 8 Docket Entries, United States of America v. William Baroni, Jr., et al., No. 2:15-cr-00193 (D.N.J.) ................................... 13 Materials from District Court Proceedings No. 2:15-cr-00193 (D.N.J.) Indictment (Dkt. # 1) (04/23/2015) .......................................... 20 Excerpts of Memorandum in Support of the United States of America’s Motions In Limine (Dkt. # 149) (08/09/2016) ...................................... 61 Excerpts of Trial Transcript (Dkt. # 190) (09/19/2016) ...................................... 66 Excerpts of Trial Transcript (Dkt.
    [Show full text]
  • New Jersey's "Bridgegate" Scandal: What Comes Next? an Expert Overview of the Federal Charges Filed Over the Partial Closure of the World's Busiest Bridge
    New Jersey's "Bridgegate" Scandal: What Comes Next? An expert overview of the federal charges filed over the partial closure of the world's busiest bridge. M ay 6, 2015 What is the ?Bridgegate? scandal, and why has it led to federal charges? From September 9-13, 2013, officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shut down access lanes of the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York City for a ?traffic study? that gridlocked the small city of Fort Lee, New Jersey for hours each day. In the following weeks, evidence emerged of political motives behind the bridge closure, spurring federal prosecutors to announce an investigation in January 2014. On M ay 1, 2015, Paul Fishman, U.S. Attorney of New Jersey, charged that two defendants illegally closed the bridge to punish Fort Lee?s mayor for refusing to endorse Governor Chris Christie for reelection in 2013. Who are the defendants? The defendants are Bill Baroni, former Deputy Director of the Port Authority, and Bridget Anne Kelly, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Governor?s Office. Baroni and Kelly are alleged to have conspired with David Wildstein, formerly the Director of Interstate Capital Projects for the Port Authority and now a cooperating witness for the Government. Wildstein has already pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the bridge?s closure. What are the charges? - Intentional misapplication of resources of a federally-funded program (the Port Authority), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666. - The violation of the civil rights of the people of Fort Lee, NJ to travel freely, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Hare-Brained Bridgegate Scandal 'Begrimed Everyone It Touched'
    Opinion: Hare-Brained Bridgegate Scandal ‘Begrimed Everyone It Touched’ CARL GOLDEN | MAY 8, 2020 | OPINION Despite former Gov. Chris Christie’s protests to the contrary, it will be a considerable part of his legacy, forever associated with his administration It was in some ways anticlimactic. When the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of two former New Jersey state ofõcials convicted for their roles in the Bridgegate scandal, the universal reaction was that both would be cleared. Carl Golden Yesterday, the court made it ofõcial, pitching a 9-0 shutout and overturning the convictions of Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff to former Gov. Chris Christie, and Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. When the court accepted the case nearly a year ago, speculation spread quickly that it did so to bring clarity to laws governing misbehavior by public ofõcials and viewed the Bridgegate appeals as an opportunity to warn prosecutors against bringing indictments based on political acts or motives. Why else, the reasoning went, would the nation’s highest court agree to hear a case of relatively trivial consequence other than to use it to caution against overzealous prosecutions of individuals carrying out purely political decisions. Not a federal crime As Justice Elena Kagan pointed out in the ruling, while Kelly and Baroni used deception to reduce access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee in September of 2013 as an act of political punishment, “not every corrupt act by a state or local ofõcial is a federal crime.” Neither proõted õnancially from the lane restrictions and, therefore, were not guilty of violating federal fraud laws, Kagan wrote.
    [Show full text]
  • Law Offices of Alan L. Zegas 552 Main Street Phone: 973-701-7080 Chatham, New Jersey 07928 Fax: 973-701-7081
    Law Offices of Alan L. Zegas 552 Main Street phone: 973-701-7080 Chatham, New Jersey 07928 fax: 973-701-7081 website: www.zegaslaw.com Alan L. Zegas (NJ and NY Bars) Judson L. Hand (NJ, E.D.N.Y. and S.D.N.Y. Bars) Stephanie G. Forbes (NJ and PA Bars) January 31, 2014 By Email and Regular Mail Darrell Ruchbinder General Counsel The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 225 Park Avenue South lS•h Floor New York, NY 10003 Re: David Wildstein Dear Mr. Buchbinder: I am writing in response to your email of January 24, 2014, in which you deny the December 13, 2013, request of Mr. Wildstein for the Port Authority to pay for his legal representation in connection with legislative proceedings where Mr. Wildstein was subpoenaed to appear and provide documents and testimony. You state that "[Bjased on the current facts and circumstances, it is apparent that the Port Authority's provision of legal representation .... would not be warranted under the Port Authority's By-Laws. Copied on your email were Scott Rechler, Patrick Foye, and Deborah Gramiccioni. You had previously written to Mr. Wildstein on December 27, 2013, and, in addition to the foregoing persons who had been copied, was David Samson, whose name does not appear on your January 24, 2014, correspondence. I would request that you kindly reconsider the Port Authority's decision to deny Mr. Wildstein payment of his legal fees and indemnification. I would also request that the Port Authority pay for Lhe legal fees of Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Press Release 050115
    MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Miller 859.619.6328 [email protected] May 1, 2015 ADDRESSING THE MISGUIDED INDICTMENT OF BILL BARONI Bill Baroni, the former Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is innocent of the charges brought against him today by federal prosecutors. The accusations are false, and when the facts come to light, Bill will be fully exonerated. Throughout his entire career of public service, Bill has placed principle above politics. Bill, whose career has been marked by integrity and a non-partisan pursuit of the common good, did not commit the acts of which he has been accused. By contrast, no one disputes that David Wildstein is a criminal and a liar. Today, he said under oath that he is a criminal. The record in this case is equally clear that he is a liar. David Wildstein lied to Bill Baroni, his close friend of over a decade, about the impetus for a traffic study. And as the public record clearly reflects, David Wildstein lied to all of the following officials when he told them that the lane closures were a traffic study: Peter Zipf, Port Authority Chief Engineer, Bob Durando, George Washington Bridge General Manager, Mike Drewniak, Chief Spokesman for Governor Christie, Mike Duhaime, Chief Political Strategist for Governor Christie, and Nicole Crifo, Senior Counsel to Governor Christie’s Authorities Unit.i Continuing his habit of lying, today David Wildstein lied to a federal judge about Bill Baroni. And today, habitual liar David Wildstein lied to a federal judge about Bill Baroni.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation's
    You Are Viewing an Archived Report from the New Jersey State Library Minority Statement: The New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation’s George Washington Bridge Inquiry December 8, 2014 You Are Viewing an Archived Report from the New Jersey State Library Table of Contents Introduction Page 2 I: The Public Committee Started Down a Political Road Page 5 1. Democrats’ Politics Trumped Public Trust Page 7 2. ‘The Greater the Power, the More Dangerous the Abuse’ Page 9 3. Top Members Should’ve Been Banned from Committee Page 12 4. A Member Proactively Addressed Perceived Issues Page 22 II: A Questionable Choice for ‘Bipartisan’ Inquiry Page 25 1. A Go-To Firm for Democrats: Jenner & Block Page 27 2. Additional Problems with Committee Counsel Page 33 III: Co-Chairs Sabotaged the Inquiry Page 38 1. Prejudicial Comments: A Hunt for Attention Page 39 a. ‘Inquiry to Lynching’ Page 45 b. Co-Chairwoman: ‘The governor has to be responsible’ Page 49 c. Co-Chairs Should’ve Quit Committee, Too Page 62 d. Co-Chairs Did What They Criticized Mastro For Doing Page 63 e. Co-Chairs Continued to Advance Democrat Scheme Page 67 2. Unlawfully Leaked Documents? Page 72 IV: Inquiry’s Doom: Bungled Court Case Page 83 V: Republicans Tried to Develop a Successful Inquiry Page 87 1. Committee Should’ve Been Democratized Page 88 2. Painfully Wasteful Meetings Could’ve Been Avoided Page 90 VI: A High Price for Failure Page 98 1. Administration’s Transparency Opened Door for Reform Page 99 2. Democrats Shut the Door on Reform Page 103 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Interim Report to the New Jersey Legislature Regarding the September 2013 Closure of George Washington Bridge Access Lanes in Fort Lee, N.J
    You Are Viewing an Archived Report from the New Jersey State Library INTERIM REPORT TO THE NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE REGARDING THE SEPTEMBER 2013 CLOSURE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE ACCESS LANES IN FORT LEE, N.J. December 8, 2014 Reid J. Schar You Are Viewing an Archived Report from the New Jersey State Library TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................................ 1 A. Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 1 B. Summary of Facts ............................................................................................................................. 2 1. Before the Lane Closures ........................................................................................................... 2 2. During the Lane Closures ........................................................................................................... 3 3. After the Lane Closures ............................................................................................................. 4 II. TIMELINE AND SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION ............................................................................................. 6 A. Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee ....................... 6 B. Legislative Select Committee on Investigation ...............................................................................
    [Show full text]