“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 . . . people will be held responsible for their actions.”
Gone is the flippant reference to his moving cones around on the George Washington Bridge. In his statement Wednesday, Chris Christie admits what he’s previously denied: His people punished a Democratic mayor who didn’t endorse Republican Christie for re-election by closing bridge lanes, snarling traffic and endangering public safety in the mayor’s town of Fort Lee.
The e-mails implicate his deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, and his friend at the Port Authority, David Wildstein. In one exchange, Kelly suggests it is “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” A minute later, Wildstein responds, “Got it.”
Even worse was the gloating that followed. “Is it wrong that I am smiling?” Wildstein asked after the mayor complained about the commuting chaos. And when Wildstein said, “I feel badly about the kids,” Kelly answered with an e-mail saying they are the children of those who would vote for Christie’s Democratic opponent.
All this may not be quite the Watergate Christie’s enemies suggest. But it’s no trifle — especially given the governor’s national ambitions. It’s an example of something Christie has long railed against: a political class abusing power at the expense of ordinary citizens for some petty purpose.
These citizens deserve an unequivocal apology — and a leader who shows he will hold his own people to the same accountability he demands of others.