The more pressing question confronting New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is not if his fledgling presidential campaign can withstand the outlandish George Washington Bridge scandal, but whether his future as the Garden State’s chief executive is in peril as well.

As abuses of power go, this one deserves to be a unanimous, first-ballot Political Hall of Shame inductee. If it were the plot of disaster movie, you might dismiss it as too outrageous.

To punish Fort Lee, N.J. Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich for his refusal to endorse Christie’s 2013 gubernatorial re-election campaign, members of Christie’s administration in September ordered the closure of two lanes of Interstate 95 leading to the George Washington Bridge, which links Fort Lee to New York City.

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Christie Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly wrote in an email to Christie’s close friend, David Wildstein, director of interstate capital projects for the N.J. Port authority. “Got it,” responded Wildstein.

Under the ruse of a non-existent traffic study, the lane closures remained in effect for four days before Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye caught on to the scam and ordered the lanes reopened, calling the closure “dangerous” and possibly illegal.

The closures didn’t merely create a traffic nightmare, they undermined public safety, trapping school buses and delaying the efforts of law enforcement and public safety personnel.

Adding to the outrage was the unbridled self-
satisfaction and delight exhibited by Christie staffers who were clearly infatuated with their handiwork. Among themselves, they sent text messages mocking Sokolich’s pleas for help in getting students trapped on buses to their schools.

“They are the children of Buono voters,” Wildstein wrote, referencing Christie’s gubernatorial opponent Barbara Buono.

For several weeks, Christie laughed off accusations that the lane closures were politically motivated and that his staff was involved.

“I worked the cones,” Christie sarcastically joked when pressed on the issue last year. “Unbeknownst to anyone, I was working the cones.”

Christie wasn’t joking Wednesday when documents obtained by several news media revealed how deeply and sadistically his closest advisers were involved in the mess.

“What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable … I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge … This behavior is not representative of me or my administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions.”

Of course the incident is representative of Christie’s administration, though the larger issue is whether the incident becomes the signature moment that defines his political career.

That, of course, raises the question: Where should the buck stop? Should the governor be let off the hook as merely an ignorant dupe victimized by out-of-control staffers. Or is it reasonable to conclude that the lane closure fiasco is part of a larger pattern of politically motivated bullying Christie has explicitly or tacitly encouraged and nurtured to the point where it became part of the culture of his administration?

It may be too soon to make that distinction. But certainly Christie’s political future is in question. There are still too many questions regarding his conduct during and after the lane closures to simply accept his excuse that he was an unwitting chump.

The answers may come from the U.S. attorney in New Jersey, who is now investigating the shutdown. Or the hundreds of additional documents released Friday that may help clarify the scandal and bring it to a conclusion.

However, even if Christie survives as governor, there is no question that his presidential hopes have taken a big hit.

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