Subpoenaed Christie Staffer Christina Renna Resigns As Probe Continues
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Big-name Republicans are standing behind New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie days after a former loyalist said evidence exists that Christie knew about a politically motivated traffic jam last year even as it happened.
Christie has denied that claim and said he learned about the jam ordered by one of his aides only after it was over.
Former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive David Wildstein hasn't detailed the evidence.
On Friday, another member of the Christie administration resigned.
Christina Renna was one of seventeen people close to Governor Christie who have been subpoenaed by a New Jersey legislative committee.
Renna reported to Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly, who apparently set the lane closings in motion with an email to Wildstein.
Renna confirmed her resignation to The Associated Press through a statement Sunday from her lawyer, Henry Klingeman.
In it, Renna says she has been considering leaving since after the November election, which Christie won decisively.
Renna is among 17 people close to Christie subpoenaed by a legislative panel.
Her resignation came on the same day that Wildstein alleged that Christie knew about the closures when they happened.
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said "nothing has been proven." The 2012 vice presidential candidate appeared Sunday on ABC's ``This Week.''
On other news talk shows, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said there was no reason for Christie to step down as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
Meanwhile, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville), the chairman of the state legislative committee looking into the role Christie's administration played in the traffic jam, defended his role.
Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation," Wisniewski said that he has not prejudged the case, but he does have doubts about the timeline the Republican governor has given about what he knew and when.
Also on the show, Giuliani questioned Wisniewski's role, saying he has his mind made up already. Giuliani says he shouldn't be running the investigation.
"You have a Democratic Legislature with a guy who'd like to be governor, who very, very oddly announces at the beginning he doesn't believe the governor, and no Democrat in the state seems that it's odd that he should be running an investigation where he's already announced that he knows the answer that none of us know the answer to," Giuliani said. " ... That tells me all I need to know about the credibility or political motive of what's going on.
"The governor has denied it," he added. "So far, there's no evidence to suggest that he's not telling the truth. I think the governor knows the consequences. If he's lying, it's a really bad situation. If he's not lying, then something very unfair is being done to him."
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