It would be an exaggeration to say that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been enjoying good press as of late, but it would be reasonable to at least grant that it's been a while since any people close with Christie have been compelled by law to testify before the state Legislature or feds. Well, let's hope Christie enjoyed it while it lasted — because that's over now.
Here's the latest big news for Christie:
- The state legislative committee tasked with investigating Bridgegate issued four subpoenas on Tuesday. Those served were: Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak, Port Authority executive director Pat Foye, and two members of the Authority's board of commissioners, William Schuber and Christina Renna. The committee has issued many subpoenas to this point, but these four are the first to require oral testimony rather than just handing over documents. Notably, the co-chairs of the committee haven't ruled out calling on Christie to speak, though the governor has demurred when asked whether he'd show.
- Speaking as the keynote at the annual New Jersey Chamber of Commerce dinner on Tuesday, Christie stuck to his pre-Bridgegate script, portraying himself as a bipartisan deal-maker who got things done. Christie also claimed that, under his leadership, New Jersey was experiencing “an atmosphere that really has convinced people that there are times when the government can actually work for them.” He also repeated a lately frequent demand that Democrats in the state Legislature work with him to "reform" New Jersey's public pensions and health benefits.
- Don't expect much reform when it comes to New Jersey's marijuana laws, though: Christie reiterated on his monthly radio show this week that he opposes legalizing recreational marijuana in the Garden State. "See if you want to live in a major city in Colorado, where there's head shops popping up on every corner and people flying into your airport just to come and get high," Christie said, arguing that the tax revenue from legalizing pot was irrelevant. "To me, it's just not the quality of life we want to have here in the state of New Jersey and there's no tax revenue that's worth that."
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