Lawmakers delay hearing in Christie bridge scandal probe

Lawmakers delay hearing in Christie bridge scandal probe
By Matt Arco/NJ Advance Media, for NJ.com
on July 02, 2014

TRENTON – State lawmakers investigating the George Washington Bridge lane closures have agreed to delay a hearing to hear testimony from a key member of Gov. Chris Christie’s inner circle.

Regina Egea, who was originally slated to testify on July 8, will instead appear before legislators on July 17. The hearing was pushed back due to multiple scheduling conflicts, the panel confirmed today.

Egea, currently the director of Christie’s Authorities Unit, is Christie’s incoming chief of staff.

Several “scheduling conflicts” had to be worked out between lawmakers serving on the committee and Egea, said Sen. Lorette Weinberg (D-Bergen), co-chair of the joint legislative committee investigating Christie’s administration over the scandal.

Egea received word of the lane closures just hours after Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Patrick Foye ordered the lanes reopened, according to records, which showed Christie’s top appointee at the agency, Bill Baroni, forwarded Egea an email that put an end to the September lane closures.

Egea’s receipt of the email is one of several areas of questioning lawmakers on the Democratic-controlled committee will likely focus their attention.

At least two other committee meetings are scheduled for later this month.

Egea was one of several members of Christie’s administration and inner circle whose name surfaced in a recent report naming people the committee was mulling issuing a subpoena for testimony.

Also included on the list was Christie’s top political strategist, Michael DuHaime; Christie’s former chief counsel, Charles McKenna; and Mark Sokolich, the mayor of Fort Lee.