Christie team fires back at ex-ally

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is going on the offensive after a former loyalist said he had evidence that the Republican governor knew more than he had admitted about an apparently politically motivated traffic jam ordered by one of his staffers last year.

The governor’s political team sent an email Saturday to donors, along with columnists and pundits who might be in a position to defend Christie, bashing the man Christie put in a top post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the accusations the man’s lawyer made in a letter Friday.

The email says the former Port Authority official, David Wildstein, “will do and say anything to save David Wildstein.”

The action from Christie’s supporters comes as Republicans are debating the implications of the scandal that this year has surrounded the administration of the possible 2016 presidential contender. It was sent at a moment when Christie is in the spotlight, with his state hosting Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Christie’s team criticizes the initial news coverage Friday about lawyer Alan Zegas’ letter as “sloppy reporting,” noting that Wildstein did not present any proof to back up the claims his lawyer made. The email also denies that Christie knew about the traffic jam or its political motive until after it was over and criticizes Wildstein on a variety of fronts: It characterizes him as a litigious teenager and a controversial mayor and assails him for his past career as an anonymous political blogger.

The email, headlined “Five Things You Should Know about the Bombshell That’s Not a Bombshell,” was obtained by the Associated Press and confirmed by Christie’s office. It was first reported by Politico.