Did Christie Hold Hoboken Hostage Over Development Project?

A recent Port Authority bond filing may reveal long-sought information about a bombshell accusation that Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s put forth to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in 2014:

Did Christie threaten to withhold Sandy recovery funds in exchange for the city’s approval of a redevelopment project? [See related Patch article]

According to an Associated Press report, in addition to a breadth of information about the “Bridgegate” scandal involving 2013 lane closings at the George Washington Bridge, the bond filing reveals information about Zimmer’s 2014 accusation, which was officially rebuked by Christie’s administration.

The report states that Zimmer is claiming that Christie officials tied her city’s Superstorm Sandy aid to her approval of a project whose developer was represented by then-Port Authority Chairman and top Christie appointee David Samson’s law firm.

In addition:

“Christie, a likely 2016 presidential candidate, has not been directly connected to the scheme and has denied any prior knowledge of it. A taxpayer-funded report he commissioned absolved him of wrongdoing.”

File photo: Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer