The emails and text messages were disclosed in a court filing by the committee in response to objections raised by the attorney for the campaign manager, Bill Stepien, who contended at a hearing last week that the committee had no evidence showing his client was involved in the closings.
The attorney, Kevin Marino, said that without that basis for its subpoena, or without being able to describe the specific records sought, the committee was essentially asking Stepien to help it make its case.
Marino insisted that would violate his client’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, particularly since the U.S. attorney for New Jersey is also investigating the September incident.
The committee contends the latest batch of communications show Stepien and Christie’s re-election campaign were more deeply involved in discussions about the lane closings after they occurred, and, on at least one occasion, coordinated a response with the governor’s office.
