joining me now is congressman frank pallone, democrat from new jersey.eing here. >> thank you. >> what is your reaction to this news? >> it's very serious because wildstein's attorney in this letter is clearly indicating that he believes that the governor knew about the lane closures when they were happening. and, you know, i don't have the all the details in front of me, but there seems to be a clear contradiction here between what the governor said in that two-hour press conference versus what this letter is now saying from his lawyer's assistant. >> now, the new york star ledger has said that if these claims are true, governor christie should resign. do you agree? >> i think that we have to look into it more. this is something for the u.s. attorney. this is something for the state investigative committees. because, again, i don't have all the information in front of me. but i don't think there is any question, al, that wildstein, you know, the governor's assistant or protege is now saying through his attorney that the governor knew. >> right. >> so th

according to new jersey congressman frank pallone, the inspector general of the housing and urban development department will audit the new jersey tourism campaign. it was paid for with funds for superstorm sandy relief. all said, will christie be stronger than this storm? joining us now, louis greenwall. good morning, assemblyman, thanks for being with us. what do you think of the inspector general, which i was just mentioning, the department of housing and urban development telling representative frank pallone they will audit the new jersey tourism marketing campaign paid for with funds from superstorm sandy relief. prominently featured governor kwk and his family during an collection year and they say it cost $2 million more than an ad campaign that would not have featured the governor. what's your thought? >> you know, unfortunately, when you see the surroundings around bridgegate, it certainly raises questions into other actions taken by the executive branch, and clearly, the superstorm sandy had dramatic impact on the residents of the state of new jersey. there's a lot of work left to b

well, democratic congressman frank pallone in new jersey is with us right now. ingle who is with the asbury park press, author of "chris christie: the inside story of his rise to power." congressman pallone, tell us about this story, how you smelled it out, you thought it was fishy. i do think it is odd we have a $25 million ad makes the guy look gorgeous, has his wife narrating it. when it looks like a political ad that should be paid for by private funds, not by hurricane relief money. >> chris, i think the main thing here as the asbury park press brought out in their own investigation is that this money that could have been used, you know, for sandy relief. i still have a lot of homeowners and businesses who haven't gotten their money to rebuild or raze their homes. the fact of the matter is it was the difference between the low bid which was not chosen, which was not going to include chris christie and his family, and the bid that was chosen, which was about $2.2 million more expensive. and so this is one of the things that i'm asking the inspector general t

let's bring in democratic congressman, frank pallone, of new jersey. joining us from union beach right now. congressman, thanks very much for coming in. >> thank you, wolf. >> sir, this is a she said versus a she said. she said, who do you believe? do you believe the mayor of hoboken or the lieutenant governor of your state? >> well, wolf, i wasn't party to the conversations, but i do think the allegations of the mayor of hoboken are very serious, and the u.s. attorney needs to look into it. and i have said to you in the past, there's been so many allegations now about, you know, threats and bullying by the christie administration. you know, it does seem that that's the culture. and i think that this whole idea of abuse of power, you know, has to be looked into, both by these legislative committees and by -- and by the u.s. attorney's office. i believe that what happened with the tv commercials, that -- where the governor said, you know -- or his administration said you -- you know, you put me in the tv ads, and i'll take the higher bidder, essentially

i'm going to bring in once again representative frank pallone, democrat from new jersey.h not to correct me on the air. but the pa ram us mall was a shooting and then the shooting prior to christmas. when you hear this kind of thing, this mall, these other two malls in your home state, is there a sense that security needs to be beefed up at these malls? have they beefed them up, particularly in new jersey? >> well, i think there needs to be more security. and as you said,well, i think t be more security. and as you said it's a combination of both people taking action on their own to protect themselves. but sure. i mean, it's sad to say that, you know, with these additional shootings and potential that we need more security. but i think that is true. i don't know exactly what the malls do, but i think we've had enough incidents now that we need to do more. >> absolutely. jim cavanaugh, as you listen to joan harding's description of what went down there, i'm sure you've unfortunately had to experience situations like this in your career, tell me what goes through your mind.

the democratic congressman frank pallone.e have andrea with wnyc radio and covering new jersey politics for years and is now a professor. so thanks a, everybody, for joining us. this question of all the world knows of kim guadagno is about 25 seconds of a very stilted, scripted statement she read on monday and everybody has been trying to dissect it since then. jim, we'll start with you. what should people know about kim guadagno? >> first of all, it's a little troubling because the thought that the governor's office, if they did, sent up as a hardball a messenger up the turnpike to hoboken to deliver that message is implausible and here is why. what has she been the last four years? well, actually she's been a rote which and kawani speech maker and has cut ribbons. i don't mean that in a demeaning way. she is quite popular. she gives out her cell number to everyone. looking at someone here who is not politically really connected as much as she portrays herself to the governor's office. they don't want that moon clouding thei

but let them be honest and see what the inspector general finds. >> congressman frank pallone, thank you for braving the weather. >> you bet. >>> coming up, he's one of chris christie's biggest supporters and he's a democrat. why one new jersey democrat is standing by chris christie. >>> plus, a follow-up from the story we brought you yesterday. dolphins trying to break free and now dozens are dead and supporters of this hunt are taking aim at caroline kennedy for daring to speak up. we'll be right back. ♪ [ chicken caws ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! that's my end goal, that's my end destination. for me, even a quick weekend trip to kind of reset makes me a better athlete. [ male announcer ] be a weekender like ashley wagner at hotels like hilton and hampton. book now at hiltonweekends.com. at hotels like hilton and hampton. humans -- even when we cross our "t's" and dot our "i's," we still run into problems. that's why libe

. >>> joining me new jersey congressman frank pallone. congressman pallone this is a seasoned prosecutor. >> the main thing is this has to be thoroughly investigated. i think that the public deserves some answers. i think a lot more questions have been raised by the governor in his responses in his press conference than have been answered. i think it is very important for the legislative committees to move forward and see what they can find out so that we do get answers and find out exactly who is responsible for this mess which is pretty deplorable. >> you say a lot more questions have been raised than answered like what? what comes to mind in your mind when you were watching the press conference that raised more questions to you? >> first of all, what is the reason why they were doing this? obviously it was political in the sense that they were closing the lanes in retribution against the mayor of ft lee. i wonder if that is all it is. what is it they were looking to do other than just have him make an endorsement. and i just think that

new jersey democratic congressman frank pallone said he alerted the department of urban development, this comes days after the governor was forced to .a ool guise for a traffic scandal at the george washington bridge. a close aide ordered lane closures snarling traffic for days, saying this followed the mayor's refusal to support christie's bid for second term. christie said he knew nothing about it and apologized to the people of the state. >> i had no knowledge of this issue, in the planning or the execution, and i am stunned by the abject stewpydy. >> reporter: christie went to fort lee immediately after his news conference to apologize to the mayor in person. the mayor said he would take christie at his word but wanted to wait and see what the investigation turned up. and now knew allegations have emerged. emails were released showing that meetings were canceled in july hours after he refused to back the governor's bid for reelection. an email reads . . . until all of this came to light, christie had been the big guy in new jersey politics who appeared poised to top the g.o.p. ti

that did not sit well with, for one, new jersey democratic congressman frank pallone.aid at the time the whole thing stunk. he sent a scathing letter in august demanding an investigation into the selection process for that ad campaign and, "the appropriateness of the governor appearing in a taxpayer funded advertisement in an election year." coincidence or not, given the current news, the feds have now have gotten back to congressman frank pallone saying they're going to do the investigation. opening an inquiry into something like this is not the same by finding wrongdoing by his governor or administration. not by a long shot. it's totally possibly hud will come in and do the audit and end up dotting the is and crossing the ts. we will soon see. either way, there are a lot of investigation swirling around the governor's office right now and it has to feel like quite a lot of pressure. i mean, on top of the brand new investigation into the ads just announced today by the feds, you also, federally, have the u.s. senate transportation committee asking questions about the

. >> congressman frank pallone is a democrat who represents new jersey in the house of representativesks for being here, congressman. >> thank you, richard. >> as you well know here, ken cuccinelli was a gop gubernatorial candidate in virginia, who last year, during last year's election, he lost while christie did win. what do you think of his call for christie to step down? >> i don't usually prod into republican politics, but i do think he has a point. christie was just inaugurated as the governor. he's got a lot to do as governor of the state and i've been critical that he hasn't done enough as governor of the state. so i think cuccinelli is making the point. how is he going to be the head of the republican governors association while he has all these scandals out there that need to be investigated? >> are you effectively saying how can he govern the state of new jersey? >> i think it's going to be hard for him to continue governing the state as well. but look, he should concentrate on that. and it's also important that he come clean and that he basically cooperate with these invest

congressman frank pallone and bill pascrell are both democrats from new jersey. let me start with congressman pallone. i know this whole idea that we can't judge before a courtroom is set and before the jury makes its finding. but it does seem to be an interesting cultural question. it is credible, would it surprise you to find out that chris christie was totally uninterested in everything his staff did, that he wasn't interested in whether they sought vengeance or they wanted to hurt somebody who had failed to play ball with them, he wasn't interesting when they were putting on a squeeze play with regard perhaps to hoboken, that he just wasn't interested in power. that the guy you know, congressman pallone? >> no, i don't think it's credible. first of all, we know this culture of bullying and threats existed within the administration for years. and, you know, that leads to abuse of power. and so to suggest that somehow he is not responsible, i mean, he is the one at the top that created this culture as i say threats and bullying that we know about. and these are

we want to rebuild the shore, but we're not there yet. >> new jersey congressman frank pallone.anks so much for coming on the program and standing out in the cold for us. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> he was executed in the 1940s at just 14. why all these decades later he might now get a new trial. >>> we're also following the developing news, chris christie, we've been showing it to you. there's the hall going to be inaugurated into his second term of office within the hour. stay with us, we'll have that for you live and much more ahead on msnbc. >>> it's time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week. jim shandly and his daughter megan grow top grade fruits and vegetables on their family farm, but getting national name brand recognition was tough. they broke through when they put everything under their brand, getting their produce into whole foods. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings on msnbc. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line

congressman frank pallone said he expects it will be a couple of months. there will be a public report released once the investigation is over. >> congressman pallone. chris, thanks very much. >>> remember, you can always follow what is going on here in the situation room on twitter. tweet me. tweet the show. that's it for me. "crossfire" with special guest donna brazil starts right now. >>> tonight on "crossfire," the state of the apology. >> mistakes were clearly made. >> despite his apologetic state of the state address are new allegations adding to governor chris christie's political problems? on the left sally kohn. on the right newt gingrich. in the cross fire donna brazil. the politics of being sorry now while keeping open the bridge to 2016 tonight on "crossfire." >>> welcome to "crossfire." i'm sally kohn on the left. >> i'm newt gingrich on the right. in the "crossfire" a top democratic strategist and a republican former governor. during his state of the state address new jersey governor chris christie firmly and forcefully dealt with the scandal

been used for homeowners and others, you know, is a serious question here. >> new jersey congress frank pallone than the storm ads last year that aired while christie was running for reelection. pallone announced this week that they're launching an audit of new jersey's use of federal ad money for that campaign. i want to start with what we heard at the start of the show from mayor hoboken about how she thinks that sandy aid money to her city has been linked to a development deal. does this change at all the scope of what you might be looking at? >> i think this is part of abuse of power that i was kurnd about in the governor's office. and i think what mayor zimmer said kind of indicates the same thing. so clearly this is something that the u.s. attorney should be looking at and has to be further investigated investigated. >> the piece you're looking at then it was a $25 million media campaign that the fade rale government paid for post storm and 2 million of that went to these ads featuring with chris christie. what would you what like to see come at of this investigation? >> the concern that

joining me now is congressman frank pallone who initiated this to precipitate the report.essman, are you happy that the ig will look into it? >> it's important that they do. i am concerned about misconduct here. as you said, i represent the northern part of the jersey shore. many people still have not got money for recovery efforts. whether with homeowners or businesses and there is no question that at least $2 million in extra money was used to give to the high bidder for this ad campaign that said that they were going to use the governor and his family in the ads and that, you know, that extra $2 million could be used for the recovery efforts. so i asked the ig to look into it. they now are saying they are going to do a full investigation and i'm glad that they will. >> i should say for the record, mw that marketing firm is strongly contending the notion. they say they came in at a lower overall bid. they are confident it will come out in the ig report. we will await that. the other thing, this politics. i want to play you an ad from california advertising that state's t

let's look at what frank pallone said. there is an investigation into these sandy commercials. it turned out this was just a routine audit. we have to be -- >> it's rare that you have a situation where a mayor and the lieutenant governor, one is lying or deluded. >> and the fact it is so directly linked back to chris christie. we would not be sitting here talking about this -- >> but to have a mayor -- >> and make a specific allegation against the governor and lieutenant governor. >> we're -- >> it's too early to look at whether the committee is going to investigate. we don't have all of the facts. we have a lot of work ahead of us before we can say the committee is going to -- >> we're going to take a quick break. next more of my conversation with dawn zimmer. and he says he is not a bully. but the question is what does the record show? we'll take a closer look when this special edition of "ac360 later" returns. >>> welcome back. we are devoted an hour to chris christie, first the bridge scandal and now the allegations that the governor was withholding money for rebuilding hob

democratic congressman, frank pallone, a vocal christie critic requested the investigation.ot about politics. >> this is money that could have been directly used for sandy recovery. many of my constituents still haven't gotten the money owed them to rebuild their homes or to raise their homes or to help. >> pallone says promoting new jersey towards them after the super storm was a good idea. he has a big question about how much taxpayer money was spent to make the ads. the winning bid, a 4.7 million featuring christie and his family, the next lower bid was $2.5 million and wouldn't have featured the governor. the ads called controversy as they hit the airways while he was running for re-election. democrats slammed him arguing it gave the incumbent governor an advantage. at the time, he said the winning bid provided more value. after an initial view of the sandy relief spending, the office of the inspector general at the department of housing and urban development has concluded there is enough evidence to launch a full scale investigation. >> taxpayer dollars that could have

new jersey democratic congressman frank pallone. >> the christie administration does threats and bullying. i hear it all the time. we're seeing this culture that. coul comes from the top. today zimmer reiterated she's willing to swear to all of this under oath but though she's accusing say, bring it on. >> i look forward to the inquiries. i am sure, absolutely sure of the facts will come out. >> the governor office of recovery and rebuilding held a meeting a few hours ago on how the sandy money was allocated and called the reporting of how much money the hoboken mayor requested versus what she received as a, quote, mischaracterization. christie told yahoo! news, i will learn things from this. i don't know what it is i will learn but i know i'm going to learn things. he was addressing the larger bridgegate scandal. new polling from pew research shows that unfavorable ratings have doubled over the past year. here to discuss this, chief correspondent for "the washington post." i think we've got your images there differently. dan is the wise one and matt is the young upstart. dan, how deep is

a democratic congressman, frank pallone who is a political enemy of chris christie asked for this investigation. >> why would they have been cheaper if the family was not included? >> that's a good question. so, we're trying to get the answer to. that he asked the inspector general to look into how the money was spent and that was last summer. so now, the inspector general said this is worthy of a serious investigation. the fact it leaked out at this particular time, i think you'd have to say is a little bit politically suspect. >> and to the question you were asking. part of the $60 billion given to new jersey there was a line item for marketing budget. the most expensive was a $4 million line item including the christie family. and if they had not pursued that there was a $2 million marketing video that would not have included the company number one knows who would have -- >> those are just for the production of the commercial. they spent $25 million airing it all over the country in advance of his presidential bid and re-election in jersey. it's all a little smelly. >> but on the other side

. >> congressman frank pallone of new jersey thank you. >> thank you. >>> coming up, confused by all the moving parts in chris christie's bridge scandal? and its subsidiaries? you'll want to stay tuned for our handy guide next. save up to $500 on beautyrest and posturepedic. get a sealy queen set for just $399. even get 3 years interest-free financing on tempur-pedic. keep more presidents in your wallet. sleep train's presidents' day sale is on now. >>> it is really really bad down south right now. while a serious situation, it's generated some pretty awesome finds, like this one of jim cantore being video bombed as he was doing a live report. >> gotten into the worst part of this storm yet. that is its -- >> let's see that again in slow mo. jim was in charleston, south carolina where they got freezing rain, sleet and a screaming person. and then atlanta that became a parking lot after they got 2.6 inches of snow. >> 25 reporters spread out all over metro atlanta in north georgia, updating you on the conditions on the road. >> legendary 25 box. and the obligatory bonus, now that you'

. >> congressman frank pallone of new jersey thank you. >> thank you. >>> coming up, confused by all the moving parts in chris christie's bridge scandal? and its subsidiaries? you'll want to stay tuned for our handy guide next. when electricity is generated with natural gas instead of today's most used source, how much are co2 emissions reduced? up to 30%? 45%? 60%? the answer is... up to 60% less. and that's a big reason why the u.s. is a world leader in reducing co2 emissions. take the energy quiz. energy lives here. ♪ [ woman ] i will embrace change... everything life throws my way. except for frown lines. those i'm throwing back. [ female announcer ] olay total effects. nourishing vitamins, and seven beautiful benefits in one. for younger-looking skin. so while your life may be ever-changing... ♪ ...your beautiful skin will stay beautiful. total effects from olay. your best beautiful. >>> it is really really bad down south right now. while a serious situation, it's generated some pretty awesome finds, like this one of jim cantore being video bombed as he was doing a live report.

democratic congressman frank pallone said the winning bid went to a firm that promised to include christiesing bidder, charging $2 million less, did not. >> federal dollars are being spent to the tune of an extra $2 million at least, and the only difference between them, from what i could see, was the fact they were running the governor in the ads. >> the governor's office responded in a statement. federal agency reviews are routine and standard operating procedure. we're confident that any review will show that the ads were a key part in helping new jersey get back on its feet after being struck by the worst storm in state history. the audit comes as the new jersey state assembly has created a special assembly to investigate the bridge scandal. the committee will have the power to subpoena christie's top aides, including fired deputy chief of staff bridget anne kelly, who ordered the lane closings. >> our concern is there was apparently a very massive abuse of power and an attempt to conceal that abuse of power. before we learned of this, we would have all believed that something like thi

. >> congressman frank pallone of new jersey thank you. >> thank you. >>> coming up, confused by all the moving parts in chris christie's bridge scandal? and its subsidiaries? you'll want to stay tuned for our handy guide next. there is no map. no mile marker. no welcome sign. one day you may find yourself here. and you'll need someone to bring you back. to carry you home. at liberty mutual, we believe with every setback there's a chance to come back and rise. liberty mutual insurance. auto, home, life. there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. >>> it is really really bad down south right now. while a serious situation, it's generated some pretty awesome finds, like this one of jim cantore being video bombed as he was doing a live report. >> gotten into the worst part

. >> instead of working together -- >> democratic congressman frank pallone, a vocal critic, requested the investigation and federal officials tell cnn it's now moving ahead. but pallone says this is not about politics. >> this was money that could have directly been used for san sandy recovery. many of my constituents still haven't gotten the money that is owed then, you know, to rebuild their homes or to put their, you know, to raise their homes or to help. >> pallone says promoting new jersey tourism after the superstorm was a good idea but he has a big question about how much taxpayer money was spent to make those ads. the winning bid, a $4.7 million campaign featuring christie and family. the next lower bid that lost out, was nearly half the price. at $2.5 million. and wouldn't have feature united states the governor, according to pallone. the ads caused controversy as they hit the air waves while christie was running for re-election. christie's opponents slammed him, arguing it gave him an unfair advantage. senator rand paul addressed it at a hearing in november. >> you think the

democratic congressman, frank pallone, a vocal critic, requested the investigation and tells cnn, it is now moving ahead. he says, this is not about politics. >> this was money that could have been directly used for sandy recovery. as you know, many of my constituents still haven't gotten the money that is owed them to rebuild their homes or to put their -- to raze their homes or to help. >> reporter: pallone says promoting new jersey after the super storm was a good idea. he has a big question about how much taxpayer money was spent to make those ads. the winning bid, a $4.7 million campaign featuring christy and family. the next lower bid was nearly half the price at $2.5 million and wouldn't have featured the governor. the ads caused controversy as they hit the air waves while he was running for re-election. democrats slammed him arguing it gave the incumbent governor an unfair advantage. at the time, christie aids say the winning bid provided month are value. after an initial view, the office of the inspecter general at the department of housing and urban development has conclude

according to new jersey congressman frank pallone, the inspector general of the housing and urban developmentgn. it was paid for with funds for superstorm sandy relief. all said, will christie be stronger than this storm? joining u

let me play for you what new jersey congressman frank pallone said. >> my concern is that this becomeshat people, you know, think, well, that's the way it is and nothing can be done. i want people to understand that congress can take action on gun safety and it will make a difference. >> is the public getting desensitized, do you think, to the need for gun reform? >> absolutely we're desensitized as a country. every day we see gun violence in this country. 1 out of every 3 americans knows someone who's been shot. we are desensitized and that's why american mothers' voices are so important. we will not tolerate an america where our children are constantly in jeopardy of being shot. we will not have it. so just like in so many issues in this country where moms have gotten involved and that's when we've seen real change, whether it's drunk driving or wars or other issues where mothers' voices are so important. we are going to use our voices and our votes, especially in the midterms, you know, if you talk about the gun lobby, they've had a hold on this country for a long time. but moms are

. >> reporter: democratic congressman, frank pallone, thinks these tourism ads that promote the whole christie family might be a misuse of the federal relief funds given to help new jersey recover from sandy. >> i think this extra money that was spent on the ads to put him on the air during the campaign, that could be used for other purposes for sandy relief. >> reporter: federal auditors are probing those allegations, though christie's office dismissed the revelation as conveniently timed and added the obama administration approved the effort. another possible incident of retribution, jersey city mayor, steve fullop. over the next two days, christie appointees cancelled upcoming meetings with him, leading fulloppose to write an e-mail to bill baroni, who has since resigned. in the e-mail he wrote, in part, i am not sure if it is a coincidence that your office cancelled a meeting several weeks back that seemed to be simultaneous to other political conversations elsewhere that were happening. prior to that, you were always very responsive, and i sincerely hope the two issues are not re

congressman frank pallone of new jersey, thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you, lawrence>> coming up -- who should chris christie fire next? and what do lie detection techniques tell us about what chris christie said in his news conference last week? and in the rewrite, speaking the christie gang language. [ male announcer ] this is the story of the dusty basement at 1406 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪ ♪ this magic moment (voseeker of the sublime.ro. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. p

here's what new jersey governor frank pallone had to say yesterday, then i'll get your reaction. >> i don't think there's any question that, you know, this was an effort to promote him. but the problem is, it was at the expense of money from the taxpayers that could have been used for other sandy purposes. >> so, kelly, how are christie's people handling that one? >> well, this is not a new issue, richard. it was brought up last summer and during the re-election campaign by christie's democratic opponent and by critics who said it was too much about the governor himself, and so aides have said to us that, first of all, this was hud grant funding that was approved by the obama administration, so they got this contract approved. then there is now a federal audit. it's not really an investigation, it's a federal audit being done by the inspector general at hud, the department of housing and urban development. they'll look at the contract and look at what the contractor provided and for how much. now, aides say that they expect, because that's a normal process, that it will be ultimately

democratic congressman, frank pallone, a vocal christie critic, requested the investigation, and tells cnn it's now moving ahead. but he says this is not about politics. >> this was money that could have directly been used for sandy recovery. and as you know, many of my constituents still haven't gotten the money that is owed them, you know, to rebuild their homes or to put their -- to raise their homes or to help. >> reporter: pallone says promoting new jersey tourism after the super storm was a good idea. but he has a big question about how much taxpayer money was spent to make those ads. the winning bid, a $4.7 million campaign featuring christie and family. the next lower bid that lost out was nearly half the price at $2.5 million. and wouldn't have featured the governor. the ads caused controversy as they hit the airways, while christie was running for re-election. democrats slammed him, arguing it gave the incumbent governor an unfair advantage. at the time, christie aides said the winning bid provided more value. but after an initial review of the sandy relief spending, the offi

so you had on this morning congressman frank pallone, talking about impeachment.ly political here and people taking advantage of this moment of weakness, chris christie being in a weak position here, and what is really true? what is really happening, whether or not anything has been done wrong? >> well, that's what the investigators -- the local, the state, the federal investigators, the prosecutors, potentially, they're going to be investigating, whether any crimes were committed. and they're looking very closely at all of that. and let's just be precise. right now there is no smoking gun, if you will, no direct evidence that the governor himself was involved in anything illegal. may have hired aides that weren't necessarily doing their job that he wanted them to do. but there's still a lot of questions out there. and it's only escalating. and i suspect, suzanne, as the days go by, and the weeks go by, there will be more of these allegations of bullying, of threatening, that will come forward, and it's going to continue and continue. and i am sure chris christie

congressman frank pallone of new jersey, thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you, lawrence>> coming up -- who should chris christie fire next? and what do lie detection techniques tell us about what chris christie said in his news conference last week? and in the rewrite, speaking the christie gang language. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. when you don't have the time, there's crest 3d white 1 hour express whitestrips. removes years of stains in just 1 hour. whitening without the wait. crest 3d white 1 hour express whitestrips. of the dusty basement at 1406 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that

new jersey democratic commerce member frank pallone said the funds could've been used out storm victims. >> i don't think there is any question that this was an effort to promote him, but the problem is him it was at the expense of money from the taxpayers that could've been used for other sandy purposes and i represent the area that was hardest hit by sandy and people are still looking for money now. i think it smells. >> nigeria's president has signed a harsh to anti-gay law. anyone who publicly demonstrates love toward a person of the same sex could face up to 10 years in prison. hasdge in new mexico cleared the way for doctors in the state to prescribe drugs to help terminally ill patients end their lives. judge nash wrote she could not "invision aright more fundamental, more private or more integral to the liberty, safety, and happiness of a new mexican than the right of a competent, terminally ill patient to choose aid in dying." new mexico's the fifth state to allow patients to seek aid in dying. and african-american transgender woman imprisoned for killing a man who reportedly h

congressman frank pallone said he expects it will be a couple of months.released once the investigation is over. >> congressman pallone. chris, thanks very much. >>> remember, you can always follow what is going on here in the situation room on twitter. tweet me. tweet the show. that's it for me. "crossfire" with special guest donna brazil starts right now.

let's bring in democratic congressman frank pallone. congress man, thanks very much for coming in. >> thank you, wolf. >> all right. so this is a she said versus a she said. who do you believe? do you believe the mayor of hoboken or lieutenant governor of your state? >> well, wolf, i wasn't party to the conversations, but i do think that the allegations of the mayor of hoboken are very serious and the u.s. attorney needs to look into it and, as i said to you in the past, there's been so many allegations now about threats and bullying by the christie administration, you know, it does seem that that's the culture and i think this whole idea of abuse of power, you know, has to be looked into, both by these legislative committees and by the u.s. attorneys office. you know, i believe that what happened with the tv commercials that -- where the governor said, you know, his administration said, you know, you put me in the tv ads and i'll take the higher bidder, which is what has been investigated, is just another example of this abuse of power

democratic congressman frank pallone of new jersey is a longtime christie critic, the one who asked forderal probe into how taxpayer money was spent on this tourism marketing. the congressman joining us here in "the situation room." thanks very much for coming in. >> thank you. >> anything potentially illegal going on here? >> well, i think the question is how was this contract drawn up or, you know, how was it manipulated. that's what we don't know. the daily in my district, down at the jersey shore, basically did this investigation, and they compared the contracts between the two bids. they basically said the lower bid was not willing to put christie in the ad. and that was the one that was $2.5 million. and then when the higher bid at 4.7 said it would put him and his family in the ad, they were chosen. the question is how did that process come about. >> you think because he was up for re-election? >> that's clearly my concern. keep in mind, as i think you pointed out, or chris pointed out, that christie's whole campaign was he saved the shore. if you look at those tourism ads saying

representative frank pallone from new jersey tweets out that the administration action on the georgeashington bridge closure was deplorable and all involved must held accountable. the front page of the miami herald is a picture. castro, first public outing in almost one year. you can see that he is 87 years old. he looks a little older than he has in the past. is billemocrat line from mansfield, georgia. go ahead. caller: how are you? i just wanted to say that the mayor needs to get with his emergency management team and figure out a way to get the people out of their, in case hillary's benghazi buddy come up over. they can ever make a plan. people backed up for four days with one lane. al qaeda would have a field day. host: bob in waldorf, maryland. independent line. governor christie apologized yesterday. what do you think? caller: i think i would like to see the media sit in front of obama for two hours and ask him questions as to why he assassinated american citizens overseas. what happened to their due process? i wonder how many people have died because of the health care debacl

congressman frank pallone said it was won by a firm that promised to include the governor even though its bid was more expensive. >> i don't think there's a question that this was an effort to promote him. but the problem is it was at the expense of money from taxpayers that could have been used for other sandy purposes. >> reporter: mww, the agency responsible for the ads, told cbs new ss that its proposal was nearly $1.5 million cheaper than the competition, adding the decision to include the governor was arrived at after the contract was awarded, based on timing availability and federal expenditure rules. spokesman for christie defended the ads calling the audit routine. christie's inner circle implicated in the george washington bridge scandal may have also targeted a second democratic mayor last year steven fulop of jersey city. the day after he was elected, he received a text from christie's long-time political adviser, bill stepien. congratulations. let me know if we can set up any meetings for you in trenton. in june his then chief of staff, bridget ann kelly, contacted fulop.

democratic congressman frank pallone order that the investigation happens and says that taxpayer dollarscaused a controversy this morning because of the words "negro " was included. raeana roberson snapped a photo of the affirmation card in new york. it includes a category which asks if the respondents itself identifies as " black, african-american, or negro. she crossed out the word, and wrote, a sense offense it is 2014. the u.s. census bureau discontinue the use of the word at the beginning of this year. your course plan to up follow suit with the brand or and discontinue use of the word all together. >> some olympic controversy. women's figure skating mirai nagasu who placed third will not be going to the olympics and sochi instead, the girl placed fourth will go. ashley wagner sell twice and finished fourth at the u.s. figure skating championships this weekend. the federation says the they consider result some participation in events over the past year or so to determine who is born to be a part of olympic team. >> she released a statement after the controversial decision was announ

you know, we congressman, frank pallone on this morning saying this might be due for further investigation. so i don't think it's a story that's going to go away. i think it's a story where there might be some follow-up inquiry. >> okay. more questions for you. can you come back in an hour? >> yeah. >> okay. see you then. thank you very much. >>> new reaction today to president obama and changes to the national security agency spy programs. among the biggest reforms the president announced today, the government should no longer store massive amounts of americans' telephone records. >>> effective immediately, we will only pursue phone calls that are two steps removed from a number associated with the terrorist organization instead of the current three. and i have directed the attorney general to work with the foreign intelligence surveillance court, so that during this transition period, the database can be queried only after a judicial finding, or in the case of a true emergency. >> reaction has been swift. house speaker, john boehner, accused the president of failing to adequately explain

democratic congressman frank pallone a vocal christi critic requested the investigation and told cnnabout politics. >> this is money that could have been directly used for sandy recovery. and as you know, many of my constituents still haven't gotten the money that is owed them, you know, to rebuild their homes or to put, to raze their homes tore help. >> reporter: promoting new jersey tourism after the storm was a good idea but he questions how much taxpayer money was spent to make those ads. the winning bid a $4.7 million. the next lower bid was nearly half the price at $2.5 million. and wouldn't have featured the governor. the ads caused controversy as they hit air waves while christi was running for re-election. democrats slammed him giving the incumbent governor an unfair advantage. at the time, christi said the winning bid provided more value. the inspector general at the department of housing and urban development has concluded there is enough evidence to launch a full scale investigation, according to congressman pallone. >> taxpayer dollars that could have been used for sandy