Christie “knew this was bull****” and “obviously there’s been a coverup,” N.J. ex-gov tells Salon [View all]

[kpete]

Former New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey blasted Gov. Chris Christie Thursday, telling Salon “obviously there’s been a coverup” in the scandal over lane closures allegedly orchestrated to punish a mayor who didn’t endorse him. “There’s a lot of crimes committed here,” charged Codey, saying that while he didn’t believe Christie personally ordered the alleged retribution, “the governor should just be totally destroyed” over the “arrogance” apparent in appointees’ emails released on Wednesday. Codey, now a state senator, urged Christie to “take responsibility” for a “reign of terror” that led his allies to take vengeance on the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J.

While Christie said in a two-hour press conference Thursday that “there still may have been a traffic study that now has political overtones to it as well,” Codey called that “phony,” and said, “Come on, you knew this was bullshit.” While Christie told reporters “This is the exception, not the rule,” Codey pointed to past episodes of alleged vengeance, including the governor’s refusal to fund a postpartum depression program championed by Codey’s wife. “This has been an ongoing part of the administration,” charged Codey, “the way they attack anybody who doesn’t agree with them, on policy or anything else.” A spokesperson for Christie did not respond to a Thursday afternoon request for comment.

A condensed version of our conversation with Codey follows.
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/10/christie_knew_this_was_bull_and_obviously_there%E2%80%99s_been_a_coverup_n_j_ex_gov_tells_salon/