New Jersey Governor says he was misled by staff over bridge scandal

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Wednesday said he was misled by his staff after fresh revelations that a top aide played a key role in closing some lanes leading to one of the world’s busiest bridges in what critics say was a political vendetta.

A Republican widely expected to make a bid for the White House in 2016, Christie has become embroiled in a scandal over the closing of part of the access to George Washington Bridge, a move seen as meant to punish a New Jersey Democrat mayor.

“What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable. 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,” Christie said in a statement.

Christie had insisted he and his staff had nothing to do with the lane closings, which created havoc for hundreds of thousands of residents. Emails released on Wednesday, however, showed that at least one of his top aides was involved in discussions about the closures weeks beforehand.

The George Washington Bridge is among the world’s busiest, carrying some 300,000 vehicles on a typical day. The abrupt and unexpected lane closures, which lasted four days in September, badly snarled traffic in the borough of Fort Lee at the New Jersey end of the bridge.

Critics say the shutdown was retribution against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, who did not endorse the governor’s re-election efforts. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the bridge, said it was the result of a last-minute traffic study.