Documents Shed Light On Possible New Motive In GWB Approach Lane Closures
FORT LEE, N.J.(CBSNewYork) -- There was a new twist in the scandal at the George Washington Bridge, on Saturday morning.
Investigators released more than 1,000 documents that shed light on a possible new motive, CBS 2's Janelle Burrell reported.
Web Extra: Read The Emails | Hearing Transcription | Doc A | Doc B | Doc C | Doc D | Doc E | Doc F | Doc G
The documents show that as soon as the lanes on the bridge were shut down a slew of angry emails began flooding into the Port Authority.
Fort Lee police called the incident a "miserable failure".
One driver, whose husband had been out of work for a year and was nearly late for his new job, accused the Port Authority of "playing god with people's jobs".
Pat Foye, the Executive Director of the Port Authority wrote that he was "appalled by the dangers created to the public interest." Foye then ordered the lanes reopened.
It had been speculated that the closures were ordered by Christie Aides as retaliation against Fort Lee's mayor for not backing his reelection but, however some Democrats had suggested that the decision may have been payback for a State Senator who opposed a Christie backed Supreme Court nominee.
At an event last summer Christie apparently went on to call State Senator Loretta Weinberg "an animal" for opposing his choice.
Fort Lee is Weinberg's district.
The next morning fired Christie aide Bridget Kelly sent the now infamous email saying "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
Weinberg believes that the paper trail shows that the shut down was an attempt at revenge.
"He did everything possible but try to find out what happened but then when he couldn't deny it anymore, 'oh my god I'm heartbroken', well I don't buy it," Weinberg (D) Senate Majority Leader, said.
On Thursday Christie denied having anything to do with the shut down.
"I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue. In its planning or its execution and I am stunned by the abject stupidity," Governor Christie said.
Nothing in the documents released on Friday, suggested that Christie had any prior knowledge of plans to close the bridge.
Gov. Christie was in Florida on Saturday headlining a fundraiser for the Florida Governor.
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