i want to talk to loretta weinberg. ms. weinberg. let me ask you to react to this thing. this is probably the thing you're thinking about yourself because you're involved in this. governor christie is offered a multiple choice, if you will, as to responses when we first learned about the lane closures and what was going on generally up there. in his december 13th press conference, that's december, christie said he knew in october, quote, the first i ever heard about the issue was when it was reported in the press, which i think was in the aftermath of mr. -- the leak of mr. foye's e-mail. foye's e-mail leaked to "the wall street journal" on october 1. in a december 23rd interview, christie said he knew in september. let's listen here. >> well, i mean, i first heard about the lane closure back in september. >> yeah. >> you know, from press accounts. but, you know, this has kind of been an evolving thing there was no moment where i went oh, wow, look at this. >> it goes from october to september. now the governor christie's january 9th presser he said this. >> what i can te

joining us now is new jersey state senator loretta weinberg. of the committee investigating the lane closures, thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> what do you make of the governor's office in this rule about testifying before the legislature? they clearly were trying to tamp this down today and say there was no issue. >> well, there's no doubt this is one of the more closed administrations that i have ever seen. and when i served on the committee that had the hearing yesterday on sandy, and when i sit across from advocates who had to go to court to get basic documents to find out how the money is flowing, and sandy is so frustrated, i happen to be a great believer in open government, i have been the sponsor sometimes successfully, sometimes not so successfully to sit there, it is so frustrating to deal with a government with an executive who would much rather say no and make you fight for documents than to just hand them over, these are things that are owned by the taxpayers to pay the salaries of all these folks that might or might not

. >> joining me now is msnbc contributor joy reid and new jersey state senate leader loretta weinberg who is co-chair of the special investigative committee. senator, chris christie is now saying that the only thing that matters is his statement that he did not know anything about the lane closures before they happened. and he doesn't want anyone to question of exactly when did he first hear about the lane closures, because the only thing that matters is that he didn't know about it beforehand, had nothing to do with it beforehand. is he right? is that the only thing that matters? and is that the only thing of interest to you on the committee about chris christie's awareness of this issue? >> no. there. >> es a lot of things that are of interest to me and hopefully to the entire committee. first of all, let me tell you what i know. i made my original inquiry about this whole issue after i read it in the newspaper and heard from constituents that i represent. and that was way back on september 19, about five or six days after the lane closures were reversed. and i sent a letter to a po

you don't shut down loretta weinberg, and you don't shut down john wisniewski. they know what they can do, and they will do what they need to do to get to the bottom of this. but we are talking about professional adults making six-figure salaries in the state of new jersey in very high positions in the governor's office and very high positions in the port authority. and they are saying things that are extremely troubling. they're not just kidding. there has been no traffic -- there is no demonstration that this is anything other than political, maybe because the governor wanted to appear to be a good candidate for the presidency among all the communities, and this one wasn't working out for him. there was no study. and just to even suggest that we should have some traffic problems in front of this rabbi's house, it's a retribution for something that they didn't like. and that's the way they functioned. that's the way they've been functioning. that's the way they're still functioning. and i think that behavior is unacceptable in new jersey. >> well, i'm going to

loretta weinberg is very much a part of this investigation. brian murphy, thank you. >>> who was out there every day talking down the economy? they shut down the government. they're out there playing debbie downer on health care. these republicans aren't the do-nothing congress. they're the do worse congress. it's about time the democrats called them on it instead of crying. plus, the democratic party is moving left, but not as much as the republican party has already moved right. but they're ready to nominate, the democrats are, a classic centrist. my question tonight, is hillary clinton the last great uniter of the democratic party? >>> also, the party of the super rich. how the big money republican masters of the universe plan to use their money to create superpacs and bend the country's politics to their will. talk about economic inequality. talk about the koch brothers there is a lot of them out there now. talking about political inequality. >>> finally, let me finish tonight with a future where money talks. democracy walks. this is "hard

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>> my understanding is that the committee chairs loretta weinberg and wisniewski who, i think is a frequentt of this show. >> yes. >> they've both seen david wildstein's unredacted text messages to bill baroni. >> not just the lawyers. the chairs have seen it. >> so they're aware of what's in them. and i think going forward, there's a judgment that they're going to make about how they proceed with releasing it. the standard had been that if once a hearing is held and they become part of the public record then we all get to see them. i don't know that -- they didn't really commit whether or not they're going to follow that course in the future. >> but it's within their power to decide. >> that's right. so we could see them fairly soon. >> thank you for helping us out. that was fascinating. more on this story. [poof!] [beep] [clicks mouse] nice office. how you doing? good. automatic discounts the moment you sign up. >>> totally unexpected development in the chris christie bridge scandal today. i did not expect this today. all right, last night on this show, we introduced you to this plot of l

he's going to face, if he goes to the meeting, he will face some real scrutiny. >> we've had loretta weinberghink a the lot of media people, the most heavily attended meeting ever. be very interesting to see david samson try to chair that. heather haddon, michael powell, wnbc's brian thompson, nick, the winter olympics are just days away. to get us in the mood, i strapped on my skates. actually they were rental skates. we'll talk about politics. i made a complete fool of myself for some reason we'll show you next. when you order the works you want everything. an expert ford technician knows your car's health depends on a full, complete checkup. the works. because when it comes to feeling safe behind the wheel, going the distance and saving at the pump you want it all. get our multi-point inspection with a a synthetic blend oil change, tire rotation, brake inspection and more for $29.95 or less. get a complete vehicle checkup. only at your ford dealer. ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! ♪ we are one, under the sun ♪ under the sun... [ female announcer ] fiber and protein. together as one. introducing n

loretta weinberg telling the "star-ledger" tonight, quote, i could see such a scenario unless he comesard with whatever information we has that we don't know. and meanwhile, it looks like chris christie's former campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff may be brought to court. they may have a court try to force them to comply with orders to hand over documents to the investigation. they are both refusing. today was the deadline. and now this is coming to a head. hold on. there's more. to shop online with her debit card. and so does bill, an identity thief who stole mary's identity, took over her bank accounts, and stole her hard-earned money. unfortunately, millions of americans just like you learn all it may take is a little misplaced information to wreak havoc on your life. this is identity theft. and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. lifelock offers the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. if mary had lifelock's bank account alerts, she could have been notified in time to help stop it. lifelock's credit notification service is on the job 24/7. as

one of the port authority's commissioners, who senator loretta weinberg wrote to for help right after the bridge closure started. a commissioner named pat schuber has been subpoenaed tonight. the institution of the port authority, itself, in the form of its custodian of records for the agency being subpoenaed tonight. that's 17 new subpoenas being sent out tonight. the last one, number 18, is maybe how we will get to one of the biggest unanswered questions in this whole story and the one that's received the least press until now. and it's about this man, philip kwon, nominated by governor chris christie to serve on the new jersey state supreme court. his nomination for the new jersey state supreme court was rejected by the democratic-led senate in new jersey. governor christie excoriated the democrats in the senate for rejecting phil kwon's nomination but he installed him at the port authority as kind of a really nice consolation prize. put him in a well-paid job as deputy counsel of the port authority. the port authority has a bunch of people who work in the general counsel's office

just because john wisniewski is obsessed with this and loretta weinberg, it just shows you they really have nothing to do. it's not that big a deal. just because press runs around and writes about it, both here and nationally, i know why that is and so do you. let's not pretend that it's because of the gravity of the issue. >> that was governor chris christie speaking at a couple of different press conferences in this past december. he's belittling reporters for asking about the story. reporters nevertheless kept asking about the story and in response to reporters' questions, the governor repeatedly insisted that the story just didn't matter to him. this whole thing on the bridge, it did not matter to him and it, therefore, should not matter to the press. >> you said bill baroni made mistakes -- [ inaudible question ] >> i think he said he made a mistake. i mean, you know, jenna, i know, i know there's got to be a time -- sure it's probably unlikely -- that you made a mistake in a story. by definition, you didn't do it on purpose. it was a mistake. and it's difficult to explain why you

there is another exchange where wildstein and baroni worried about new jersey senator loretta weinberg and assemblyman john wisniewski disrupting one of their press events. wildstein, instructions for gaggle. do we let weinberg and wiz attend. can we stop them? baroni, how do we stop them? it just creates an issue. wildstein, i don't see how, but need to ask you. baroni, yeah, they will beat us up either way. joining me now is steve kornacki who has been covering this story from the beginning. he is the host of msnbc's "up with steve kornacki" on the weekends at 8:00 a.m. steve, a little more information here. we knew the previously that wildstein was a little bit worried about getting fired one day because there was an earlier e-mail about should i bring boxes today. >> i came into work with boxes. now you have baroni -- it's not the only time in the stuff that's come out where baroni, clearly his job security has been on his mind. when he gave his testimony to the assembly that's now pretty much been discredited, but that's at the end of november, we already had exchanges come out wh

loretta weinberg telling the "star-ledger" tonight, quote, i could see such a scenario unless he comesward with whatever information we has that we don't know. and meanwhile, it looks like chris christie's former campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff may be brought to court. they may have a court try to force them to comply with orders to hand over documents to the investigation. they are both refusing. today was the deadline. and now this is coming to a head. hold on. there's more. a classic macaronie from stouffer's starts with freshly-made pasta, and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family. i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is. you want a way to help minimize blood sugar spikes. support heart health. and your immune system

referencing loretta weinberg and john wisniewski, the two democrats now leading the bridgegate investigationwrote, do we let weinberg and whiz attend? can we stop them? baroni responded, how do we stop them? it just creates an issue. perhaps the most revealing exchanges involve former christie campaign manager bill stepien. october 1st of last year an e-mail was published in "the wall street journal." it was september by the executive director of the port authority, patrick foye, who was appointed by andrew cuomo. in the e-mail foye called the bridge lane closures abusive and suggested they violated federal law. today with this new trove of e-mails we have learned that that same day, ok 1st, 2013, bill stepien wrote to david wildstein about patrick foye, and he said, "holy" something or other. "who does foye think he is, captain america?" to which wildstein responded, "bad guy. welcome to our world." and what a welcome it was. joining me now is nbc news national investigative correspondent michael isikoff. michael, you know, i don't know that there is that -- anything that ties chris christi

loretta weinberg telling the "star-ledger" tonight, quote, i could see such a scenario unless he comesrd with whatever information we has that we don't know. and meanwhile, it looks like chris christie's former campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff may be brought to court. they may have a court try to force them to comply with orders to hand over documents to the investigation. they are both refusing. today was the deadline. and now this is coming to a head. hold on. there's more. [ car alarm chirps ] ♪ [ male announcer ] we don't just certify our pre-owned vehicles. we inspect, analyze, and recondition each one, until it's nothing short of a genuine certified pre-owned mercedes-benz for the next new owner. [ car alarm chirps ] hurry in to the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. visit today for exceptional offers. ♪ visit today for exceptional offers. a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable, professional. would you trust me as your financial advisor? i would. i would indeed. well, let's be clear here. i'm ac

joining me now, the majority leader of the new jersey state senator, loretta weinberg. democrat.ative committee that's investigating the lane closures at the george washington bridge. senator, thanks for joining us tonight. i wonder, when you look at the governor leaving the state like he did this week, like he did over the weekend, like he did in florida, with all these scandals swirling around him, is this causing a problem in new jersey for him? where voters are sort of saying, what is he doing outside the state when there are questions relating to his administration that haven't been answered in the state? >> well, i think certainly the polling shows that. what's happened to the governor's poll numbers. but, you know, we've got a lot of big problems going on here besides bridge-gate. i am vice chair of the legislative oversight committee, not -- i'm not talking about the joint committee. it's a regular committee of the legislature chaired by senator bob gordon. this morning we had the first of a serious of hearings on sandy, on the lack of -- the problems with the company, hg

the democrats in the legislature, i happen to be interviewing loretta weinberg today, one of the democratsgation. she said what's with the lull in this story? she said, well, we're waiting for all the documents on the subpoenas. he has to fear that. he has to fear all the information that the democrats are gathering via subpoena. and that means that the story is not in his control even if he has politically a good day like today once in a while. >> he's got to proceed on two different tracks, right, wolf? one of the tracks is that i'm a governor of the state of new jersey. i can get things done, that's his brand. sandy recovery. the second track is that he does have this congressional -- i mean, this state legislative committee investigating him. he's got two former staffers who are not cooperating with the committee. so he's still going to have to be talking about this at some point, just now he just wants to be the governor. >> all three of us, we've covered politics for a long time. let's say hypothetically at that town hall meeting today where he'den asked some specific question about

maybe why loretta weinberg called michaels quote, a person of interest on wednesday.gested he might be subpoenaed. it's important to note there's no clear evidence that michaels was operationally involved in planning or carrying out the shutdown scheme but there are more questions now about what he saw, who she spoke with and what if anything he knew before and during those closures. we also reminded you last sunday about a letter that the mayor of ft. lee had sent to bill baroni, governor christie's other point man on the third day of the closures. quote, port authority police officers are advising commuters in response to their complaints that this recent traffic deback sl a result of a decision that i as a mayor recently made. there is no evidence that lieutenant chip michaels was one of those officer, but shortly after that report, berg man tracked down some of the commuters that were trapped in that traffic jam and a number of them corroborated the story. as the record reported it, he was sought out by an aufbser. i didn't motion him, to him and rolled down my wi

. >> and also, i do want to talk about "the star ledger" which is reporting the co-chair and loretta weinbergee saying all members will have the access to dojts. where does it stand now? >> i have to say that since the -- it wasn't just one let their we wrote. there were a series of several letters we did right. since those letters, the process has changed tremendously. i'm pleased to say that the committee is now working the way the committee should be for something that's investigating -- an issue of this magnitude. we are receiving copies of the memorandums. we are having access to documents. i personally am scheduled to go in on monday and review all of the documents that have come in to date. >> i'm curious what you are looking for. >> right now, it is -- it is very difficult to even know what you are looking for. it is really putting together a lot of pieces of various puzzles. documents are coming in piece meal. we sent out a huge amount of subpoenas. most of which people have complying with. some asked for additional time. >> can i ask you specifically about bridget anne kelly? they r