A Timeline of Christie Proclaiming Innocence in 'Bridgegate' for 16 Months
TRENTON, NJ - JANUARY 9: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks about his knowledge of a traffic study that snarled traffic at the George Washington Bridge during a news conference on January 9, 2014 at the Statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey. According to reports Christie's Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly is accused of giving a signal to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge, allegedly as punishment for the Fort Lee, New Jersey mayor not endorsing the Governor during the election.
Photographer: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty ImagesNew Jersey Governor Chris Christie has spent 16 months declaring—again and again and again—that he had nothing to do with the forced traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge in 2013 due to lane closures ordered by the Port Authority and traced back to one of his top aides. His former ally David Wildstein, the Port Authority official who ordered the lane closures, is cooperating with federal prosecutors as charges are imminent. Meanwhile, Christie faces a pressing need to put the long "Bridgegate" nightmare behind him if he wants to boost his struggling position in the 2016 contest.
Here's a timeline of Christie's unflinching denials about having prior knowledge of the lane closures that sparked a national outcry, denials that some have doubted but nobody has been able to disprove.