Smells Nixonian.........
"Above all else, Mr. Christie demands loyalty and trust from his inner circle, many of whom have worked with him for more than a decade, his aides said. When he took office in 2010, he brought with him some top staff from the U.S. attorney's office, which he led before being elected governor.
For weeks, interest from New Jersey Democrats had centered on Mr. Wildstein, who was identified by Port Authority officials as the person who directed the lane closures.
On Thursday, in the moments leading up to Mr. Christie's press conference, Mr. Wildstein unsuccessfully tried to fight a subpoena compelling him to testify in front of the state Assembly transportation panel. Instead, sitting in a committee room in the Trenton statehouse building later in the morning, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions.
Only a fraction of the 900 pages of heavily redacted correspondence has been released, and Democratic lawmakers said they are aiming higher.
"It seems to me silence is not golden here today," Democratic Assemblyman Thomas Giblin said. "Don't let David Wildstein be a fall guy on some of these issues that have taken place."
Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is leading the investigation, asked Mr. Wildstein about one set of messages about scheduling that mentioned Port Authority Chairman David Samson, Mr. Christie and Mr. Wildstein, which Mr. Wisniewski suggested was evidence of a meeting. Mr. Wildstein declined to answer."
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