Christie Pal Files Last-Minute Lawsuit To Avoid Testifying In Bridge Scandal

[ProSense]

Christie Pal Files Last-Minute Lawsuit To Avoid Testifying In Bridge Scandal

David Wildstein, the former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive at the center of New Jersey bridge scandal, does not want to testify before state lawmakers on Thursday. And he's going to court to avoid it.

Wildstein filed a lawsuit in state court on Wednesday in an attempt to quash the legislature's subpoena of his testimony, according to The Bergen Record.

Wildstein was subpoenaed to appear on Thursday before Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D) and the Assembly transportation committee to answer questions about the September closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge. The closures caused a multi-day traffic jam in the town of Fort Lee, N.J. Documents obtained by TPM and other outlets on Wednesday showed a close aide to Gov. Chris Christie (R) discussed the plan to close the lanes last year.

Wildstein's lawsuit argues that the subpoena served to him is invalid for a number of reasons, according to the Record. The suit questions everything from Wisniewski's signature on the subpoena to Wisniewski's ability to issue a subpoena for investigative purposes.

- more -

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/wildstein-halt-bridge-testimony

Christie: I Was 'Misled By A Member Of My Staff' (updated)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024299987

NJ Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski: "the governor needs to explain his role."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024300101

[riversedge]

1. OMG! one died!! GWB lane closures delayed EMS response to 4 calls in Fort Lee

OMG! one died!! GWB lane closures delayed EMS response to 4 calls in Fort Lee http://NorthJersey.com http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_lane_closures_delayed_EMS_response_in_Fort_Lee.html?mobile=1&ic=1&iphone=1 … #bridgegate



GWB lane closures delayed EMS response to 4 calls in Fort Lee

http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_lane_closures_delayed_EMS_response_in_Fort_Lee.html?mobile=1&ic=1&iphone=1

Wednesday, January 8, 2014
BY LINH TAT
STAFF WRITER
The Record

FORT LEE – Emergency responders were delayed in attending to four medical situations – including one in which a 91-year-old woman lay unconscious – due to traffic gridlock caused by unannounced closures of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge, according to the head of the borough’s EMS department.

The woman later died, borough records show.

In at least two of those instances, response time doubled, noted EMS coordinator Paul Favia, who documented those cases in a Sept. 10 letter to Mayor Mark Sokolich, which The Record obtained.

On Sept. 9, the first day of the traffic paralysis, EMS crews took seven to nine minutes to arrive at the scene of a vehicle accident where four people were injured, when the response time should have been less than four minutes, he wrote.

It also took EMS seven minutes to reach an unconscious 91-year-old woman who later died of cardiac arrest at a hospital. Although he did not say her death was directly caused by the delays, Favia noted that “paramedics were delayed due to heavy traffic on Fort Lee Road and had to meet the ambulance en-route to the hospital instead of on the scene.”.....

[SummerSnow]

4. Thats terrible....I hope he goes down

[ProSense]

5. Horrific. n/t

[ProSense]

7. Now at TPM

Report: Jersey Bridge Closures Delayed Emergency Responses
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/christie-bridge-emergencies-delayed

[riversedge]

9. someone could have

died--bled to death during those 4 minutes.


.....On Sept, 9, the first day the lanes were shut, Favia wrote that it took seven to nine minutes for workers to reach the scene of an accident where four people were injured when the normal response time would have been under four minutes. That same day, Favia wrote that "standstill traffic" caused it to take nearly an hour for emergency workers to reach a person with chest pains.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Subtle.

[msanthrope]

3. This would make such an awesome episode of the Sopranos....nt

[DonViejo]

12. What? Wait! This isn't the Sopranos? Could have fooled me...

Meghan McCain made an interesting comment on the Leno show the other night:

"When you're in a political family, I always say it's kind of like being in a mafia family," Meghan McCain said.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251346579

[leftyohiolib]

6. this from the party of no to frivolous lawsuits

[warrior1]

8. That be considered manslaughter second-degree murder

[Cha]

10. Here's to Wildstein losing his attempt to avoid testifying.

[Gothmog]

11. Good luck with this lawsuit

From what I have seen, this lawsuit lacks merit. You can sue and say you do not want to testify because simply because you do not want to testify.

I fully expect all of the Christie aides to invoke the 5th Amendment when they are before any panel and then the issue will be if the panels will grant immunity