The big fat liar had a busy week:
– Both the state Senate and Assembly created their own special committees to investigate the Christie law breaking and within hours, 20 subpoenas were issued to 17 key people and three organizations in the unfolding story.
– Those in the governor’s inner circle who have been subpoenaed include Kevin O’Dowd, the governor’s pick to serve as the state’s new attorney general; Michael Drewniak, Christie’s chief spokesman; Bill Stepien, his former campaign manager; Charles McKenna, the governor’s chief counsel; Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff; and Matt Mowers, another former aide.
– Christie lawyered up for good reason.
– Christie told a group in Weehawken that he was committed to being in New Jersey for all 4 years of his second term – for the first time signaling that he might not run for President.
– In Washington, Sen. Jay Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) has opened his own inquiry into the closures said he has received “zero evidence” the lane closings were part of a legitimate traffic study, after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey responded to questions from his committee.
– David Wildstein’s lawyer says that he will talk only is given immunity (I’m not lawyer, is that allowed?)
– David Wildstein asked the Port Authority to pay his legal bills.
– The lower house (Assembly voted 75-0 to continue the investigation started by the transportation committee.
– The investigating committee has retained Reid Schar, the former federal prosecutor who put Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich behind bars.
– The Senate approved a similar special committee by a vote of 33-0. That panel will be led by Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), whose district includes Fort Lee.
– Weinberg said the Senate panel will subpoena records from three high-ranking officials at the center of the scandal: Port Authority Chairman David Samson, Port Authority Commissioner William “Pat” Schuber and Regina Egea, the governor’s incoming chief of staff, whose names appeared amid the thousands of pages in emails and text messages the Assembly Transportation Committee received through a subpoena.
– William “Pat” Schuber who has not been in the headlines until now is a David Wildstein protege who will eventually link the Governor to the cover-up. (Schuber was on the outside of the operation so when he was asking for help for Fort Lee, his emails and texts were more unguarded than Wildstein’s)