State prosecutors and voters – not the feds – can hold corrupt officials accountable
Two high-ranking officials with ties to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hatched a plot in 2013 to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey, a town adjacent to the George Washington Bridge – the busiest bridge in the world. The reason for targeting the mayor: his refusal to endorse Christie for reelection.
To inflict pain on the mayor, the aides ordered lane closures on the bridge under the guise of a sham “traffic study,” causing massive backups – with school buses idling in traffic for hours and emergency vehicles and ambulances blocked. A public uproar ensued.
The press swarmed, the plot unraveled and the state legislature began an investigation, as did the U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
Two aides were charged and convicted under a federal wire-fraud statute for misusing fede...