Chris Christie has another big bridge problem
One bridge scandal has become two for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), as investigators are now probing whether his administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey violated securities laws with a 2011 road repair project, according to The New York Times.
The latest investigation focuses on a $1.8 billion renovation for the Pulaski Skyway, which connects Newark and Jersey City. Though Port Authority funds are intended for joint projects between New Jersey and New York, Christie's administration fought to have the agency divert money to the Pulaski Skyway anyway, according to the Times.
The Manhattan district attorney and the Securities and Exchange Commission are handling the investigation, which apparently arose as a result of investigators probing Christie's other bridge fiasco. Under a New York law, prosecutors could bring felony charges against anyone who deliberately misled bond holders, according to the Times.
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On its face, the new scuttlebutt seems less explosive than the last. Budgetary jujitsu doesn't scream "scandal" in quite the same way that petty political retribution does. Yet the latest investigation nonetheless casts Christie, again, as a tainted politician.
Christie said earlier this month that the last bridge scandal was "over, it's done." That may be so, but a new bridge story is just getting started.
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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