Why were Gov Christie's office staff screening Ft Lee mayor's calls?
One of the emails from the massive bridge-gate document dump that I found particularly interesting has not gotten much attention thus far. It is an email from Christie aide Christina Genovese Renna to Christie's then Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Anne Kelly. In it, Renna describes a phone call that another Christie aide, Evan J Ridley, fielded from Ft. Lee's mayor, Mark Sokolich.
The most interesting part of the email is the first paragraph, in which Renna explains why Ridley answered the phone, saying:
This afternoon, Evan received a call from Mayor Sokolich. It came from a number he was not familiar with that was actually a secretary who patched the Mayor through to Evan.
This paragraph leads me to believe that Renna felt she needed to justify Ridley's behavior (speaking to Mayor Sokolich). It also implies that Governor Christie's staff would have been "familiar" with Sokolich's number if he had called directly.
The last paragraph is also enlightening. According to Renna, Ridley told the mayor that "he was unaware that the toll lanes were closed." This was in the afternoon of September 12, the fourth day of the lane closures.
This seems to be evidence of widespread knowledge, in the Governor's office, of the issues surrounding the Ft. Lee traffic problems and the George Washington Bridge. Based on their salaries, Christina Renna and Evan Ridley don't hold high ranking positions in the office and probably wouldn't have been privy to much more than general information. I can't imagine them having more information than the Boss about anything.
The full email chain is below. Let me know if anyone has a better explanation.
Christie Staff Screening Calls From Fort Lee Mayor