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The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal or Bridgegate, is a U.S. political scandal in which a staff member and political appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) colluded to create traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey by closing lanes at the main toll plaza〔〔 for the upper level of the George Washington Bridge. The problems began on Monday, September 9, 2013, when two of three toll lanes for a local street entrance were closed during morning rush hour. Local officials, emergency services, and the public were not notified of the lane closures, which Fort Lee declared a threat to public safety. The resulting back-ups and gridlock on local streets ended only when the two lanes were reopened on Friday, September 13, 2013 by an order from Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye. He said that the "hasty and ill-informed decision" could have endangered lives and violated federal and state laws.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=PA chief Patrick Foye's email on George Washington Bridge closures )〕 The incident was investigated from a few possible motives. The prevailing theory is that the lane closures were retribution against Fort Lee's Mayor Mark Sokolich (D) for not endorsing Christie in the 2013 gubernatorial election.〔 That motive was alleged by federal prosecutors in May 2015, in charges against Bridget Anne Kelly, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Christie, and Bill Baroni and David Wildstein, both of whom had been Christie appointed officials at the Port Authority. Wildstein pleaded guilty. The indictment charged that the three conspired to commit fraud by illegally exploiting Port Authority resources for political ends.〔 Investigators also examined other possible motives.〔 Christie said in a February 2014 interview that he did not know about the lane closures, did not approve or authorize them, and only became aware of them from a ''Wall Street Journal'' story after the lanes reopened. Christie ordered an internal probe be conducted by the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. The firm cleared Christie of wrongdoing in their report.〔〔 The report was criticized for not being able to interview key participants, including Kelly, Baroni, Wildstein, and no one else at the Port Authority, and for reading like a legal brief for Christie's defense.〔〔〔〔〔〔Associated Press (March 28, 2014). ("NJ Gov. Christie on major push to shed scandal" ). ''Boston Herald''〕 Investigations centered on several of Christie's appointees and staff, including Wildstein, who ordered the lanes closed, and Baroni, who had told the New Jersey Assembly Transportation Committee that the closures were for a traffic study.〔 Both men resigned following sworn testimony by Port Authority officials that the two had violated protocols and then had sought to hide their involvement. Kelly had emailed Wildstein advising him that it was "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee".〔 She was fired by Christie, who said she had lied to him about her involvement. David Samson, chairman of the Port Authority and a Christie appointee, resigned on March 28, 2014. , investigations were underway by the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, the New Jersey Legislature, and the Port Authority. The New Jersey Attorney General refused to say if it had launched a probe. At a news conference on May 1, 2015, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman stated that, based upon the evidence that was available, his office would not bring any more charges in the case beyond the indictments against Kelly, Baroni, and Wildstein.〔Seidman, Andrew. ("Paul Fishman, U.S. attorney for New Jersey, offers no wider opinion on Bridgegate" ), ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' (May 19, 2015).〕 Christie's political standing and 2016 presidential campaign prospects were harmed by the scandal.〔(Poll conducted February 4–9, 2014)〕〔(Poll conducted January 31 to February 2, 2014)〕 ==Background== The George Washington Bridge, a double-decked toll bridge, is the busiest motor-vehicle bridge in the world, with a toll charge for traffic from New Jersey to New York.〔(【引用サイトリンク】accessdate=September 13, 2013 )〕 There are 29 operating toll lanes,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/gwb-facts-info.html )〕 spread among three toll plazas. At the main toll plaza for the upper level, there are twelve toll lanes and a Fort Lee entrance at Martha Washington Way (also called Park Avenue). During rush hours, for the past 30 years or longer,〔 the three lanes located furthest to the right (the south end of the toll plaza) are ordinarily reserved for local traffic entering from Fort Lee and the surrounding communities.〔 This local traffic is segregated by movable traffic cones from the heavier traffic of the major highways. There are other Fort Lee street entrances, which do not have dedicated toll lanes, to the lower and upper levels of the bridge. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ or simply the PA) is overseen by a Board of Commissioners. Under an informal power-sharing agreement, the Governor of New Jersey chooses the chairman of the board and the deputy executive director, while the Governor of New York selects the vice-chairman and executive director. Chris Christie, a Republican, was first elected Governor of New Jersey in November 2009 and re-elected in November 2013. During his first term, he appointed Bill Baroni as deputy executive director of the PA.〔 David Wildstein, a local politician and political blogger who had known Christie during high school, was hired by Baroni based on Christie's referral and recommendation in May 2010. As director of interstate capital projects, Wildstein was New Jersey's second highest executive at the Port Authority, and often substituted for Baroni at major meetings.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fort Lee lane closure scandal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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