TRENTON, N.J. — A former aide to Republican Gov. Chris Christie whose job included getting re-election endorsements from mayors said Tuesday that he was “dumbfounded and disappointed” to learn that a northern New Jersey mayor was apparently targeted in a political payback plot orchestrated by Christie loyalists.
The former aide, Matt Mowers, spoke to New Jersey lawmakers investigating the traffic jam scandal that’s engulfed the governor’s administration.
Mowers is the fifth person subpoenaed to testify before the Democrat-led panel. He worked in Christie’s office and on last year’s re-election campaign and is now the executive director of New Hampshire’s Republican Party.
Mowers said he was not involved in the plot.
“Today, I sit here dumbfounded and disappointed that the actions seemingly taken by a few rogue individuals have tainted the good work that so many have done on behalf of the residents of New Jersey,” Mowers said.
The committee is trying to determine who ordered traffic lanes blocked in September at the George Washington Bridge and why. The closures caused gridlock in Fort Lee, the town at the base of the heavily traveled span linking New Jersey and New York, and appear to have been directed at the town’s mayor, a Democrat who did not endorse Christie.
Mowers was peppered with questions about his interactions with Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.