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Records From Christie Bridge Scandal Feature Top Officials Mocking Rabbi

“We cannot cause traffic problems in front of his house, can we?”

by
Hannah Dreyfus
February 27, 2014
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with Rabbi Mendy Carlebach (far right) (Chabad of Central New Jersey)
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with Rabbi Mendy Carlebach (far right) (Chabad of Central New Jersey)

Uncensored records released today by the legislative panel investigating the George Washington Bridge lane closings in New Jersey revealed an ugly exchange between David Wildstein and Bridget Anne Kelly, two key players in the unfolding scandal. The top officials joked openly about causing traffic problems for Rabbi Mendy Carlebach, an Orthodox Rabbi who runs the Chabad of North and South Brunswick and serves as a chaplain for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department. Rabbi Carlebach is also a close friend and ally to Gov. Chris Christie, the Newark Star Ledger reports.

The exchange began when David Wildstein, a senior official at the Port Authority, sent a photo of Carlebach with House Speaker John Boehner to Kelly, Christie’s deputy chief of staff.

“I think this qualifies as stalking,” Kelly texted back. “You are too much.”

“He is Jewish Cid Wilson,” Wildstein wrote, an apparently mocking reference to a local Democratic leader in the Afro-Latino community.

“You are really so funny,” Kelly responded. “He is. No doubt.”

“And he has officially pissed me off,” Wildstein said.

“Clearly,” Kelly replied. “We cannot cause traffic problems in front of his house, can we?”

“Flights to Tel Aviv all mysteriously delayed,” Wildstein retorted.

“Perfect,” Kelly wrote back.

The exchange took place on Aug. 19, 2013, six days after Kelly emailed the now-infamous line to Wildstein, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” That email remains the center of the investigation regarding Gov. Christie’s involvement with the lane closings that gridlocked thousands of civilians.

Carlebach and Christie have been friends for several years. The two traveled together to Israel in 2012 and last year, the governor nominated the rabbi to the New Jersey-Israel Commission. Thus far, Carlebach has declined to comment on this latest development.

Hannah Dreyfus is an editorial intern at Tablet.