Reports: Christie aide sent emails signaling lane closure

N.J. lawmakers are probing whether the shutdown of access to a key bridge was political retribution.

Emails from a top aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie indicate that his office, despite the governor's denials, was closely involved in the unannounced closing of traffic lanes in September over the George Washington Bridge, according to New York and New Jersey media reports.

The New Jersey Senate is looking into allegations that the shutdown, which caused a massive gridlock in the town of Fort Lee, may have been retribution for the Democratic mayor's refusal to back Christie in his re-election last year.

Christie, a Republican, has insisted that the shutdown was part of a traffic study and that neither his staff nor campaign had anything to do with closing the access lanes to the George Washington Bridge at Fort Lee.

The tollbooth lanes, lower left, lead to the George Washington Bridge in this aerial file photo.(Photo: Mark Lennihan AP)

The newspapers reported Wednesday that Bridget Anne Kelly, deputy chief of staff to the governor, sent an email two weeks before the bridge closure to David Wildstein, Christie's close friend and his appointee at the Port Authority, which oversees the bridge.

READ: The Record's timeline of the lane closure incident

In the email, according to the two newspapers, Kelly wrote, 'Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.'

The Record said Wildstein's reply was: 'Got it.'

The Record said it had asked Kelly for comment and was told: 'I'm literally in the middle of a conference call. 'I'm going to have to call you right back.'

Wildstein, a former high school friend of Christie's, has also insisted that the shutdown was part of a traffic study, but resigned in December, calling the bridge closure scandal a distraction.

Bill Baroni, deputy executive director of the Port Authority and a Christie appointee to the agency, also resigned in December.

The Record also reported on an exchange of text messages between Wildstein and an unidentified person who responded to an allusion by Wildstein that Fort Lee mayor Mark Sokolich had been complaining that school buses were having trouble getting through the traffic during the closure.

'Is it wrong that I'm smiling,' the recipient of the text message responded to Wildstein.

'No,' Wildstein wrote in response.

'I feel badly about the kids,' the person replied to Wildstein. 'I guess.'

The New Jersey Senate is investigating the circumstances of the closure and subpoenaed numerous documents, including emails.

Sokolich, unlike many Democratic mayors, did not endorse Christie for re-election in his landslide victory in November.