The Slatest

Gov. Christie’s No. 2 Denies Sandy Relief Funds Quid Pro Quo

 New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno greets Gov. Chris Christie as he arrives to deliver the State of the State Address.

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

The trouble continues to pile up for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Most recently, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer over the weekend said that Christie’s office threatened to withhold Superstorm Sandy emergency funds from her city unless she approved a real estate development deal the governor was pushing. Zimmer, a democrat, specifically pointed to an interaction with Christie’s number two—Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno—saying Guadagno pulled her aside at a political event last year to tell her that recovery funds were contingent on her approving the real estate deal.

On Monday, Guadagno hit back at Zimmer’s allegations calling them “illogical.” Here’s more of what Guadagno had to say, via CNN: “Mayor (Dawn) Zimmer’s version of our conversation in May of 2013 is not only false but is illogical and does not withstand scrutiny when all of the facts are examined. Any suggestion that Sandy funds were tied to the approval of any project in New Jersey is completely false.”

New Jersey Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable, whom Zimmer also said tried to strong-arm her into signing off on the development deal, also spoke out on Monday saying the allegations “are patently false and absurd on their face. I welcome a full and thorough law enforcement review of her libelous claims,” CNN reports.

Zimmer, who met with members of the US Attorney’s Office for New Jersey over the weekend during which she says she handed over her journal describing the event, responded to Guadagno’s denial in a statement. “I stand by my word, remain willing to testify under oath, and I will continue to answer any questions asked of me by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Zimmer said in the statement.