Chris Christie: Family Not Blaming Governor
The family of a 91-year-old woman who died during the George Washington Bridge lane closures say: "It was just her time."
Friday 10 January 2014 11:45, UK
The family of a woman who died during the bridge lane closure scandal that has engulfed Chris Christie say they do not blame the New Jersey governor for her death.
Florence Genova, 91, died on the morning of September 9, the first day that the closure of lanes to the George Washington Bridge caused traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
A Fort Lee emergency services official has said that the build-up of traffic prevented an ambulance from reaching Ms Genova's home.
Ms Genova's daughter Vilma Oleri told the New York Times: "I honestly believe it was just her time."
She said her mother had voted for Mr Christie in 2009's gubernatorial election and added: "We want to stay out of it, it's not political."
Mr Christie has sacked one of his top aides linked to lane closures at the bridge - one of the world's busiest - in an alleged political revenge scheme.
During a humbling news conference on Thursday he apologised to Ms Genova's family.
Speaking about her death and emergency response delays, he said: "It's awful to hear. All I can do is apologise for the conduct of the people who worked for me. I can’t reverse time. Believe me, I would."
Mr Christie fired Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly after she was accused of engineering political payback against a New Jersey town mayor, who did not endorse Mr Christie.
Mr Christie said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by the accusations his office orchestrated last year's lane restrictions at the bridge, which runs between New Jersey and New York City.
He said he made the decision to fire Ms Kelly "because she lied to me".
Mr Christie apologised to the people of New Jersey for what he said was his failure to understand the problem "sooner than I did".
Ms Kelly is the latest casualty in a widening scandal that threatens to upend Mr Christie's second term and likely run for president in 2016.
Documents show she arranged traffic jams to punish the mayor of Fort Lee.
Email and text messages obtained amid a statehouse investigation into whether the lane closings that led to the tie-ups were retribution against the mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing Christie for re-election last fall.
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Ms Kelly wrote in a message to David Wildstein, a top Christie appointee on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
A few weeks later, Mr Wildstein closed two of three lanes connecting Fort Lee to the bridge.
The messages do not directly implicate Mr Christie, but they contradicted his assertions that the closings were not punitive and that his staff were not involved.
Mr Wildstein, meanwhile, refused to answer questions after being called to appear before a state legislative committee looking into the scandal.
He repeatedly invoked his constitutional protection not to say anything that might incriminate him, despite the committee chairman saying his silence could result in contempt.
Mr Wildstein, a childhood friend of Mr Christie, resigned from the Port Authority in December.
Critics suggest the incident reflects a darker side of Mr Christie's brand of politics that contradicts the image he would like to project as he eyes the presidency.
On Thursday, Mr Christie continued to deny knowing about the lane closings and previously said no one on his staff was involved.
He said he was stunned by the "abject stupidity that was shown".
Besides firing Ms Kelly, the governor asked a second trusted aide, former campaign manager Bill Stepien, to withdraw from a bid to become the next state Republican chairman.
Mr Christie said he was disturbed by the "callous indifference" displayed by Mr Stepien in the emails released on Wednesday.
The US attorney in New Jersey has said he is investigating the lane closures "to determine whether a federal law was implicated".
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