New Jersey State Senator Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-NJ) tears into the so-called investigative report on New Jersey’s bridge scandal pointing out its “gratuitous sexist language” is unacceptable.
This powerful New Jersey Senator and Co-Chair of the Legislative Select Committee on Investigation is not buying into the findings of the internal review of the Bridgegate scandal submitted by Chris Christie chronies.
You can watch the segment below from NBC’s Meet The Press, followed by a transcript.
TODD: …for the other side. This is Loretta Weinberg. Senator Weinberg, you’re obviously part of this investigation. At what point are you going to accept– what’s it going for you to take to accept Governor Christie’s side of the sorry?
STATE SEN. LORETTA WEINBERG (D-NJ, Majority Leader/Co-Chair, Legislative Select Committee on Investigation): I’m willing to accept Governor Christie’s side of the story all the way along, as soon as we get all of the information, as soon as we get a chance to question all the people we would like to question, and as soon as we get all the documents. You know, I’m glad…
TODD: So what are you missing? Let’s go through. Tell me what you’re missing.
SEN. WEINBERG: Well, first of all, we’re missing the list of 70 people that were interviewed in this so-called report.
TODD: Okay.
SEN. WEINBERG: We’re missing all the transcripts; not only of this interview with the governor, but his interview with all 70 of the so-called witnesses. And I’d like to know for a report– first of all, I’m glad to hear that Mr. Giuliani said it wasn’t conclusive. It’s the governor who’s saying it’s conclusive. And for a report that was supposed to be so conclusive…
TODD: Right.
SEN. WEINBERG: …footnoted, et cetera– how did they know who broke up a personal relationship? That gratuitous, sexist language…
TODD: Right.
SEN. WEINBERG: …in that report is infuriating, and anybody who put their name on that report should be ashamed of themselves.
TODD: I guess I’m going to ask you, though, have you– you’ve been spending a lot of time on this. We know what Governor Christie’s denial is. There has been no evidence to suggest that his denial is false. Have you found any evidence to suggest this?
SEN. WEINBERG: We have not yet gotten all the evidence. We’re awaiting a court decision concerning certain witnesses that are pleading the fifth. And one of the things I do know is that this incident was known on September 13th when the executive director of the Port Authority…
TODD: Right.
SEN. WEINBERG: …reversed it. Let me just point out, just to show you the level of Mr. Mastro’s report. I wrote a letter…
TODD: Mastro, the attorney that wrote the report on behalf of Governor Christie?
SEN. WEINBERG: Exactly. Thank you. I wrote a letter to the– to a commissioner in the Port Authority on September 19th asking questions, and I copied the governor on that letter. And I copied Mr. Samson, who resigned…
TODD: Right.
SEN. WEINBERG: …as soon as the report came out, the former chair of the Port Authority…
TODD: Of the– of the New Jersey side of the Port Authority.
SEN. WEINBERG: …of New York and New Jersey. Mr. Mastro depicts that in the report as Senator Weinberg wrote a letter to the Port Authority. Completely omits the fact that very plainly on the letter says, a copy to the– to Governor Christie.
TODD: Do you think he ever read that letter? Do you think Bridget Kelley read it?
SEN. WEINBERG: Well, he mentions it in the report. So apparently, it’s part of the file. But these are the kinds of omissions, even just calling what really happened as a lane realignment. That’s how he refers to it. It’s a choice of words that were meant to give a– an impression that I think is inappropriate. And I would hope that we get a list of all 70 witnesses and all the transcripts, and present that to our committee.
TODD: Let me ask you this. If you– if Governor Christie said tomorrow he’d come before your committee, go under oath, and this is the– and this is the evidence and there’s no other evidence to prove that he knew anything, would that satisfy you?
SEN. WEINBERG: Yes.
TODD: And would you say, you know what, this investigation is over after that?
SEN. WEINBERG: If Governor Christie comes before our committee under oath and brings all these documents with him, I’d be more than satisfied.
TODD: And then you would feel as if okay, I’ve gotten everything I can get out of him. This investigation is over? Or this investigation, as far as Chris Christie is concerned, is over?
SEN. WEINBERG: Well, it would depend upon what we hear from the governor, and if that leads us any place else. But personally, speaking for myself as– as the co-chair of the committee…
TODD: Yeah.
SEN. WEINBERG: –as one member, if the governor came before us under oath with all of the documents and all of these transcripts, I think everybody on the committee would be happy.
TODD: All right. Loretta Weinberg, State Senator there, part of the joint committee that is looking into this entire bridge mess. Thanks for being on MEET THE PRESS.
SEN. WEINBERG: Thank you.
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