bombshell revelations from the ex port authority official david wildstein. he says he has evidence that the governor had knowledge of the lane closures during the period when the lanes were closed. and we have verified this letter from wildstein's lawyer. we have not verified the evidence that is discussed in the letter, but it is a stunning development in an already fairly stunning saga. thank you so much for your thoughts. we will continue to follow this story. we're working independently to confirm the report and we'll bring you every piece of information as it comes up. >>> coming up, just moments ago the state department issued a new report on the keystone xl pipeline and the controversy continues. i'll ask chris hayes about the findings. that's just ahead. first, as their teams get set to battle for the lombardi trophy, denver and seattle are vying for the title of most progressive city. we'll talk with the mayors of both towns. [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits. delicious, but say i press a few out flat, add some beef, sloppy joe sauce and c

i do know david wildstein. have i not spoken to him personally since this whole thing broke in the last few months. the port authority denied him -- denied paying for his legal defense. so ostensibly, that is what this letter is about. he is making a claim to the port authority that it was wrong denying paying for his legal defense and here is why. it's significant. there is a motivation for david wildstein to try to get the port authority to pay for his legal defense. but thing is a second way of reading this letter. and it goes hand in hand with a few things we've seen from wildstein and his lawyer over the last few months, and they are putting it out there not so subtly that hey, there is stuff that david wildstein nose there is stuff i know there is stuff that i can prove there is stuff that that might be use to feel the u.s. prosecutor, his lawyer said at the assembly a few weeks ago, basically, give me immunity. give my client immunity and he will be a lot more helpful to you. what he writes in this lette

it was written by david wildstein. the same chris christie appointee, he is the same chris christie political appointee who gave the order to close those lanes on the bridge. he's the man who gave specific instructions to bridge officials to not warrant local police, and not warrant town of fort lee about what was about to hit them. other e-mails that have been made public show that the port authority knew they were advised explicitly that shutting down those lanes on the bridge would cause the whole town of fort lee to be gridlocked in a backlog of hundreds of stuck cars. they did it anyway. that is explicitly why they did it. that wasn't a bug, that was a feature, that's what they were going for. we now know that because partially redacted e-mails and text message transcripts were published today. those transcripts and e-mails show that governor christie's appointee to the port authority didn't come up with that idea on his own, it came from governor christie's office directly. boom! look, this is an e-mail from gove

this is david wildstein.n, you were an attorney in new york, would you give someone like this immunity in exchange for full testimony? >> not based on the letter that had previously been submitted because it's too ambiguous. it won't convict anybody. there's too too many arguments, too many ambiguity, too many questions about the governor -- the governor did know after it happened. the question is when did he know, what did he say about it? all that will be hard to premise any kind of case on it. here's the point. if wildstein had blockbuster information, if wildstein had very, very strong smoking gun kind of evidence, yes, then you would give him immunity, but they haven't given him immunity so he hasn't reached that level yet. >> he's pleading the fifth at least when he testified there. >> correct. >> some others are pleading the fifth. the current mayor of ft. lee, new jersey, mark sokolich is joining us on the phone right now. ft. lee, your community was right at the center of this huge uproar, commuters

what do you think david wildstein has incurred already in legal fees? we know he's got a lawyer. >> could you state and spell your last name for the record. >> david wildstein. w-i-l-d-s-t-e-i-n. >> are you currently employed. >> no. >> most recently where were you employed? >> on the advice of my counsel, i respectfully assert my right to remain silent under the united states and new jersey constitutions. >> page 751 contains communications. my question is does page 751 contain communications dated august 5th, 2013? >> on the advice of counsel, i again assert my right to remain silent. on the advice of counsel, i assert my right to remain silent. >> the right to refuse to answer questions to this committee is not permitted under those rules. the committee does have the right to find your client's failure to respond to validly asked questions to be in contempt of this committee's subpoena and to take a vote on that and that matter may be referred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. you understand that? >> that is understood, sir. if the atto

i first found out about it after it was over. >> the very next day, january 10th, david wildstein, the appointee took the fifth in front of the state assembly legislative investigative committee. at this point, it appears it's wildstein's word against the governor's. msnbc we have reached out to governor christie's office for a response on the latest development and we are awaiting a response. joining me tonight, the host of "up." also with us is jonathan alter. you have done work on this from the start. your thoughts on this latest development. you just heard the sound byte. this is an accusation saying the governor knew about it. where does that take us tonight? >> it's a continuation from what we've been hearing from david wildstein for a week now. he gave back a very strategically redacted set of e-mails and text messages that was designed to raise all sorts of questions, to point the investigation into all sorts of different directions, and the possibility that he had a lot of answers to the questions that were raised. when he appeared before the assembly committee a few weeks ago

who is david wildstein? >> so david wildsteen is a former port authority official. he wasn't appointed by governor christie but the number two to one of governor christie port authority appointees, former state senator. >> and why is he important to this story request am. >> well, david wildstein's name comes up. he was the individual who is being the one who directly ordered the lanes be closed on the george washington bridge. subpoenaed documents that came out later suggested that david wildstein himself gave the authorities to hey, the bridge or close the lanes of the bridge. and then later, in the same document badge suggested that folks within the administration gave the okay. >> we can fill in even more of the blanks. wasn't david wildstein who received the e-mail from the deputy chief of staff bridget ann kelly saying time for some traffic trouble in new jersey? >> right, right. at fort lee, correct. >> fort lee. so that is david wildstein what you suggesting is that david wildstein was in a position to actually order the lane closures, correct? into right. t

i knew who david wildstein was. i met him on the tom cane for governor campaign in 1977. he was a youth volunteer. so was i. after that time i completely lost touch with david. we didn't travel in the same circles in high school. i was the class president and athlete. i don't know what david was doing during that period of time. i have had no contact with david wildstein in a long time. a long time. well before the election. you know, i could probably count on one hand the number of conversations i've had with david since he worked at the port authority. i did not interact with david. >> i did not interact with david. during the traffic jam, there is the governor interacting with david. couple of months before the traffic jam, there, again, is the governor interacting with david. this is in june at another port authority event. in case you're interested, the guy on the right, that's david samson, the port authority chairman. and the guy on the left, that's bill baroni, the other guy who had to resign. in the middle there, that sour hero governor chris christie and, again,

>> that is understood, sir. >> that was david wildstein and his straight out of casting attorney, sayingers, who compelled him to testify last week, on the great new jersey bridgegate scandal. dave wildstein is the official who appears to have carried out the order from governor christie's deputy chief of staff, to cause some traffic problems in ft. lee, which he accomplished by closing down lanes to the george washington bridge last september, in what appears to be an effort to intentionally cause those traffic problems for ft. lee. they went on for four days plus. mr. wildstein sat at the witness table in the new jersey legislature last week, refusing to talk, knowing that committee could hold him in contempt for his refusal. the committee did vote to hold him in contempt. that contempt charge has now been referred to a new jersey county prosecutor. but it's interesting, the threat of being prosecuted for contempt didn't seem to scare david wildstein into talking, right? he knew that was a possibility when he was claiming the fifth. didn't make him talk. david wildstein and his lawyer

>> let me clear something up about my childhood friend david wildstein. it is true i met david in 1977 in high school he's a year older than me. david and i were not friends in high school wemp not even acquaintancings in high school. i had a high school in livington, a three-year high school that had 1,800 students in a three-year high school in the late '70s, early 1980. i knew david wildstein was, i met david on the tom kain for governor campaign in 1977. he was a youth volunteer, so was i. really after that time, i completely lost touch with david. we didn't travel in the same circles in high school. i was the class president and athlete. i don't know what david was doing during that period of time. i have had no contact with david wildstein in a long time. a long time. well before the election. you know, i could probably tell on one hand the number of conversations i had with david since he worked with the port tort. i did not interact with david. >> i did not interact with david during the traffic jam. there's the governor interacting with david. a c

high level hire at the port authority, on friday we learned that the port authority had cut off david wildstein. they notified him on friday he would have to be paying for his own defense in the chris christie bridgegate scandal in new jersey. doesn't matter that mr. wildstein was employed by the port authority. they say their bylaws prohibit them from paying david wildstein's legal bills while this matter is sorted out. that may mean that david wildstein may find himself on the hook for a ton of money in terms of his legal defense. but we learned that about him on friday. also on friday the port authority said they were still deciding whether they were going to do that same thing to bill baroni. the former republican state senator bill baroni, who is new jersey governor chris christie's top appointee to the port authority. he was david's boss there. they say there's no answer yet on if bill baroni is also on the hook for paying for his own legal defense. that question of whether or not bill baroni is going to be cast aside by the port authority the way the port authority has cast aside david w

he is david wildstein, the christie appointee, who directed those lane closures. at e-mail. time for some traffic problems in ft. lee, and responded, "got it." but wildstein appeared before the state assembly last week, he took the fifth, refusing to talk. but late in the hearing, his lawyer said this. >> if the attorneys general for new jersey, new york, and the united states were all to agree to clothe mr. wildstein with an immunity, i think that you would find yourselves in a far different position represent with respect to information he can provide. >> that's your job. we just want answers to your questions. >> understood. i'm suggesting a way you can get there. >> today wildstein's lawyer made the same assertion to associated press. "if he has immunity from the relevant entities, he'll talk." could the man at the center of this story be ready to talk, or is this seasoned political player working another angle? joining me now is steve kornacki. steve, thanks for coming on the show. >> sure. happy to be here. >> now, you worked for david wildstein when he ran a

presumably david wildstein, "i've been advised by d.w. we will continue this current operation through tomorrow at a minimum." we knew before this, we knew before this that they did it. now we know a lot more about how they did it. and we know the governor's office not only called for it in the first place on august 13th, but we know that that same deputy chief of staff in the governor's office was told the weekend before the traffic jam started that it was teed up for monday. the governor's deputy chief of staff saying great when she learns from david wildstein she's going to get updates on him on the fate of poor old ft. lee once they put their plan into action on monday morning. must have been an exciting weekend to know that little town had no idea what you were about to hit them with. you knew it was coming in advance. they didn't know. the bulk of the rest of the 2,040 pages that were released today, the bulk of the rest of it is about handling the feedback and the blowback. receiving complaints from the public. receiving complaints

or is he going to get cut off the way that david wildstein got cut off? you can handle those bills yourself. and that turns out to be a really important matter going forward. when bill baroni tried to sell that cover story to the legislature, it was not just him touting that cover story pub publicly. the same line that there was a traffic study and ft. lee wasn't the victim there. that traffic study because ft. lee had somehow been scamming all the rest of new jersey and so they had to have the lanes to the bridge shut off because they were doing a terrible thing with those lanes, that same story line, that fake cover story advanced by bill baroni as part of his cover-up dance before the legislature, that same line was also advanced in public by new jersey governor chris christie himself. >> the fact is, i didn't even know ft. lee had three dedicated lanes until all of this stuff happened. i think we should review the entire policy. i don't know why they need three lanes. i sat in traffic before i was governor at the george washington bridge. and the fact

lee, because a subpoena of david wildstein, he replies, got it. now these committees will go after bridget kelly. >> right. a couple things are key there. first of all, the fact that this scandal worked its way into the governor's office, officially through the david wildstein e-mails and text message, tells you that david wildstein is not on the back channels on the christie team. there is an article bridget kelly remaining loyal a week later. >> throw that headline up there. i like this, aide fired by christie is called loyal team player, not rogue operative. >> the key here to me is one thing wildstein is not behind the scenes on team christie. they were totally blindsided by the fact that he had e-mails linked to their office. the second thing is he's putting little clues in documents that were released and are raising all sorts of questions. so, you know, for instance, the biggest one at least is he suggests there was a meeting between the governor and between david samson, who is the chairman of the port authority. a meeting took place betwe

well, today, david wildstein raised his hand and said, me, i want to talk. if, that is, he's granted immunity. and if there's a single person who knows where the proverbial bodies are buried, it's wildstein. >> on the advice of my counsel, i respectfully assert my right to remain silent under the united states and new jersey constitutions. >> wildstein is a legendary jersey political operative, who for years ran an anonymous political blog, called politickernj, where he wrote under the pseudonym, wally edge. so how did a political blogger make it into a job at the port authority? according to a former staffer, they were told to "find a place for wildstein at the executive level," and, oh, that the order was coming from christie's office. then, like magic, a position was created specifically for wildstein. he was introduced to people as a good friend of the governor. one report from 2012 called wildstein the governor's eyes and ears inside the port authority. christie's spokesperson said that same year that wildstein was there because he is well suited to the

so says david wildstein on the last day of the shutdown. it was only after that document came out that david samson made his first public comment of what happened in ft. lee. on the hours of long backups on the george washington bridge and leading up to it that lasted four days. a backup that was caused by the port authority. that was the first public comments that he made. he put out a statement saying he had no knowledge of the lane closures. he said he was "extremely upset and distressed by the documents that were released." that's it. that's all we've heard from him. david samson is chris christie's top appointee at the port authority. he's the head of that agency. before that, he was the head of the transition team for chris christie when he was first elected governor of new jersey. governor christie and david samson are very close political allies. david samson's a former attorney general of the state of new jersey. chris christie calls him general samson. when u.s. senator frank lautenberg died and chris christie needed to pick somebo

the architect of the bridge shutdown, david wildstein brags to chris christie's deputy chief of staff that david sampson is helping to retaliate against the forces that got fort lee's bridge lanes opened back up again on the fifth day of what had been that disaster. so david sampson, essential lie a political godfather to chris christie, former attorney general of the state of new jersey, partner in one of the most powerful and connected law firms in the state of new jersey, he's being subpoenaed tonight from the new jersey state senate. that's one. the second one of their subpoenas is going to regina egea, who was chris christie's director overseeing authorities, like the port authority, at the time of the bridge shutdown. the morning that the lanes were opening up again, she got sent the angry letter from the port authority executive director that said he was going to get the lanes opened up again. and that this hasty decision violates federal laws and the laws of both states. regina egea was sent that letter marked high importance on the last morning of the shutdown. she too has ju

david wildstein. he's been pretty quiet lately. >> i respectfully assert my right to remain silent. >> wildstein is the christie appointee who responded, got it, when asked to start a ft. lee traffic jam. yes, wildstein and christie are old high school chums. now the governor wants a little distance. >> i was the class president and athlete. i don't know what david was doing during that period of time. >> wildstein was elected to his local school board at 16 and served a term as mayor of livingston, new jersey, before he was 30. then wildstein went underground. founding an anonymous political blog called "politicker nj," the super secret byline was wally edge. he once said the worst part of politics is the policies. in 2010, christie gave wildstein a job at the port authority. job paid $150,000 but had no job description. wildstein was christie's eyes and ears in the port authority. he's the author of the two most infamous e-mails. with the they are the children of buono voters" and "it will be a toug

the committee had a lot of questions for david wildstein today as one might expect. wildstein -- >> i respectfully assert my right to remain silent under the united states and new jersey constitutions. on the advice of counsel, i, again, assert my right to remain silent. >> the same answer. >> the same answer, sir. same answer, sir. it's the same answer, sir. >> you get the idea. the committee found wildstein in contempt. plans to refer the charge to a county prosecutor. members vow this is not the end of their investigation. they're just getting started. joining me now, new jersey assemblywoman, vice chair of the transportation committee, committee before which he appeared today. so what's your reaction to david wildstein's pleading the fifth today? >> every time he said that, we knew that there was concern that he was trying to protect himself against criminal charges and that every time he declined to answer, it opened up the floodgate for more questions. and at the end, all we were left with were, was the knowledge that he didn't want to answer any of our question

david samson is helping us to retaliate so says david wildstein on the last day of the shutdown. it was only after that document came out that david samson made his first public comment of what happened in ft. lee. the backup that was caused by the port authority. that was the first public comments that he made. he put out a statement saying i had no knowledge of the lane closures. he said he was extremely upset and distressed by the documents that were released. that's it. that's all we've heard from limb. david samson is chris christie's top appointee at the port authority. before that, he was the head of the transition team for chris christie when he was first elected governor of new jersey. chris christie and david samson are close political allies. chris christie calls him general samson. when frank lautenberg died and chris christie needed to pick someone to take that u.s. senate seat, chris christie tapped jeffrey ciasa. when governor christie started his term as the chairman of the republican governor's association, david samson was among the group of close advisers who we

less than 20 minutes later, they are e-mailing david wildstein, again. the police chief is not happy about the traffic pattern. he's upset no one from the bridge had the courtesy or neighborly intent to call about testing a new traffic pattern. the police chief asked how he goes about ending this miserable failure. that same first day, two more hours down the road, two more hours into the commute. now, it's not just angry cops. now it's getting very serious. e-mail from one of the head communications people to david wildstein and his boss, another chris christie appointee at the port authority. how did she know they were the guys to get in touch with. >> wanlted you both to have a heads up. the increased volume and congestion throughout the burrow with the bridge. she mentioned there were two incidents that ft. lee police and emergency vehicles had a problem responding to, a missing child and cardiac arrest. how did she know to e-mail them about that? the chris christie appointees knew directly, they were advised on the first morning the plan was in effe

know why a meeting between samson and christie just a week before the closures was included in david wildstein's documents. these are the documents he handed over. does the news today about samson being with christie again raise any concerns to you? >> well, you know, david samson is a key figure in the investigation i think for the democrats. he is a top appointee as the chairman of the port authority. he is the governor's top appointee. it does raise questions. why did wildstein include that e-mail about the meeting with samson and christie a week before this happened when he was only asked to turn over things relevant to the lane closures. i think you'll be hearing his name a lot more frequently as the weeks progress alongside bridget kelly and bill stepien who are due at some point for subpoenas this week. >> richard wulfe and sal rizzo, thanks for your time tonight. >> thank you. >>> ahead, new details about the woman at the heart of the christie bridge scandal. is bridget kelly still devoted to her old boss, even after he fired her? >>> plus, republicans are trying to spin the christie sca

it says chris christie said he barely knew david wildstein. that was untrue. he said he hadn't seen mr. wildstein in a long time that was untrue. he repeatedly said he had no knowledge of the lane closures, today's revelations raise serious questions about whether that is true. i know it is super bowl weekend and cuts are christie doesn't want to talk about anything but it looks like he will need to change his plans. the communication director for the dnc also tweeted out earlier christie isn't doubling down folks. if current statement is true then he did not tell the truth in two previous pressers. when did he know? david axelrod just tweeted out earlier, said that from the start christie could survive so long as no smoking gun leads to him. this could be it. now don zimmer the mayor of hoboken new jersey, she has had no reaction to this. the republicans have had no reaction yet. rnc on their twitter feed, no reaction. if you get something new and hot that pops up there, weigh us in. >> good to see you. you have read through the statement on the "new york time

state legislators trying to question david wildstein. he was one of the top representatives of the new york-new jersey port authority. he resigned shortly after this scandal erupted. someone who had been supposedly close to the governor chris christie though chris christie indulgining they went to high school together but didn't know him that much. wildstein is refusing to answer questions citing his right to remain silent, if you will, every question even inane questions he's refusing to answer based on the advice of his council, democratic representative bill pascrell represents ft. lee among other places. it's a pretty shocking development, if you think about it, congressman, that this individual is now pleading the fifth, if you will. refusing to answer questions. >> right. we've gone from jolting about the cones in the road by the governor to a very sad day. this is a sad day as the governor said. if you listen to this testimony and taking the fifth, now, taking the fifth doesn't mean you're guilty of anything. that's our constituti

told that he was a good friend of the governor and they needed to find a place for the -- for david wildstein there was actually a position created for wildstein at the port authority. now, i should also say though that a christie spokesman says that the governor's eyes and ears were not david wildstein as has been reported, that it isn't accurate to say that, and that they did have limited interactions. he is standing by that what you heard from the governor in his marathon press conference last week. >> dana, stay with us. i want to bring in senior political analyst david gergen, senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin this. committee has acted very quickly in getting the subpoenas out. what does that tell you? >> it said they want to show they mean business. in particular you send out subpoenas so that the recipients know that if they destroy documents at that point it's obstruction of justice. you want those subpoena in their hands so their e-mails, their records, they freeze the situation so that nothing gets destroyed. and that's the hope, i suppose, of the prosecutors that this way they ca

david wildstein, who took the fifth amendment last week while his lawyer publicly tried to make a dealis the author of the famous "this little serbian" e-mail. he is deeply involved in the bridge conspiracy in his e-mails along with bridget anne kelly, who wrote the now most famous of the e-mails to wildstein, "time for some traffic problems in for the lee." it was the public revelation of that e-mail that forced chris christie to fire bridget anne kelly. a long 24 hours after he read that e-mail for the first time, according to his story. chris christie also got rid of his campaign manager, bill stepien, because he didn't like the tone of stepien's e-mails. >> i was disturbed by the tone and behavior and attitude, callous indifference that was displayed in the e-mails by my former campaign manager, bill stepien. >> stepien was agreeably on the receiving end of the "little serbian" e-mail. david wildstein told stepien that he was worried about a "wall street journal" article about the bridge, so worried that he came to work that day with empty boxes to pack up his office because he fea

to which david wildstein responded, they're the children of buono voter.overnor came out and held what may have been one of the longest and most bizarre press conferences in modern american politics. >> all of the people who were affected by this conduct deserve this apology and that's why i'm giving it to them. >> he said he was blind sided by the revrevelation, that he knew nothing about the scheme to cause the gridlock and he fired bridgette kelly. >> major -- the mayor was never on my radar screen. i wouldn't have been able to pick him out of a lineup. even as tchristie was talking, the mayor of ft. lee said he would rather not receive the governor today. >> he certainly would not be shunned but if ft. lee has built up enough capital at this point to be granted one request, we would ask that this visit come once this investigation is either over or all of the material facts have surfaced. >> but apologies may not be enough here. today, david wildstein who resigned several weeks ago as this scandal was gathering steam refused to answer questions in fron

david wildstein. one of the governor's top appointees at the agency that controls the bridge. got it, he replied. when the mayor of fort lee called about the xwrid lock, kelly then e-mailed wildstein to find out if anyone called him back. radio silence was the response. christie's critics questioning whether he was truly ignore an of the communications of his staff. they wanted an investigation. >> his statements and actions thus far have proven that he is not the straight shoot their he has claimed to be. and the questions -- require answers. he needs to step up and face the music and answer those questions. >> the other headache for dpof christie is he says he didn't know what was going on in his opponent office and that while he says he was misled by a member of his staff, the e-mails seem to suggest that others, including people at the port authority, may have had knowledge of what was going on. >> joe johns reporting live from washington. it tests some of the image issues facing christie. a tough

bill baroni forwarded that e-mail minutes later to david wildstein. do you believe it violated federal and state law, e.j.? >> well, i am not a lawyer, but i do think that there are severe legal questions involved when you talk about using a public facility for a political vendetta. that's almost the definition of corruption. so i think there is -- there are ample grounds to investigate, to have the u.s. attorney and others investigate this to see if there was a violation. but i think what really becomes clear from the new documents that came out today is that, a, this was a political operation. and b, that they were trying to cover that up. the headline on "the new york times" says "bridge scandal documents indicate effort to hide political motive." and i think that's what it is. and i think the question that governor christie left on the table yesterday -- >> so they're saying in effect that the traffic study was bogus? >> that is what "the new york times" story suggests. and i think the question that governor christie left on the table yesterday is

the governor says he had no contact with david wildstein in a long time. wildstein was christie's port authority man. >> i have had no contact with david wildstein in a long time. a long time. well before the election. you know, i could probably count on hand the number of conversations i've had with david since he worked at the port authority. i did not interact with david. we didn't have that kind of relationship. >> just didn't have that kind of relationship. you be the judge. "the wall street journal" ran a story today. it published a picture that proves christie misleading the public. keep in mind, this picture right here was taken on september 11th 2013, the third day of the closure fiasco. there's the governor and david wildstein. look how enthusiastic he is. i have something to tell you. christie's office responded to this picture today in all fairness saying, of course governor christie attended the september 11th ceremony. he had numerous interactions with public officials that morning. let's go back to the picture. i like this picture. everybody

told that he was a good friend of the governor and they needed to find a place for the -- for david wildsteinat there was actually a position created for wildstein at the port authority. now, i should also say though that a christie spokesman says that the governor's eyes and ears were not david wildstein as has been reported, that it isn't accurate to say that, and that they did have limited interactions. he is standing by that what you heard from the governor in his marathon press conference last week. >> dana, stay with us. i want to bring in senior political analyst david gergen, senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin. so this committee has acted very quickly in getting these subpoenas out. what does that tell you? >> it said they want to show they mean business. in particular you send out subpoenas so that the recipients know that if they destroy documents at that point it's obstruction of justice. you want those subpoena in their hands so their e-mails, their records, they freeze the situation so that nothing gets destroyed. and that's the hope, i suppose, of the prosecutors that this way

let me just clear something up, okay, about my childhood friend david wildstein. it is true that i met david in 1977 in high school. he's a year older than me. we were not friends in high school, we were not even acquaintances. i had a three-year high school that had 1,800 students in a three-year high school in the late '70s, early 1980. i knew who david wildstein was. i met david on the tom cane for governor campaign. he was a youth volunteer and so was i. really after that time i completely lost touch with david. we didn't travel in the same circles in high school. i was the class president and athlete. i don't know what david was doing during that period of time. and then we reacquainted years later in i think 2000 when he was helping bob franks with his senate campaign against john corzine. so we went 23 years without seeing each other. and in the years we did see each other we passed in the hallways. i want to clear that up. it doesn't make a difference except that i think some of the stories we have written impute an emotional relationship with david that do

maybe he's one of the people you go do, but right now, all we know is what david wildstein told us. and stepien and wildstein are the two that know the most about this. >> do you think there's a reasonable timetable that should be -- that you should be shooting for on this investigation? i understand that, you know, it might have to change. but what do you think in terms of serving the public in this investigation would be a reasonable timetable? >> well, that's really something that's an open-ended question, because it could be weeks. it could be months. it could be how quickly we get back the information we're looking at. there were a lot of e-mails that were redacted. only things that pertain to the port authority. now we're going a little further into that. >> will the testimony be under oath? >> when we do have them coming in under subpoena, they will be under oath. >> let's assume not everyone takes the fifth amendment and there's a certain body of evidence that develops. and let's say kevin o'dowd says i never told the governor anything about this. wouldn't you then also need