Democrats Hammer Christie on Lane Closures

New Jersey and national Democratic Party leaders marked the anniversary of lane closures near the George Washington Bridge on Monday with a round of public criticism of Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and local Democrats gathered for a news conference in Fort Lee to hammer the potential 2016 presidential contender for the bridge fiasco, as well as a list of other complaints, including his handling of the state's economy and his frequent out-of-state travel.

"Chris Christie's gridlock reaches much farther than right here in Fort Lee. What Bridgegate did was raise the curtain on his culture of intimidation, bullying and the incompetence that pervades the Christie administration," said Wasserman Schultz, speaking in a park overlooking the busy bridge.

She said Christie should be doing more to get to the bottom of what happened and should be spending more time in New Jersey, tending to the state's economy, instead of traveling the country in his role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association and testing the waters for a presidential run. Last week, New Jersey saw its seventh credit downgrade in Christie's tenure.

The lane closures, which appear to have been done for political retribution against a Democratic mayor who didn't endorse Christie, snarled traffic in Fort Lee for four mornings starting Sept. 9, 2013. Federal authorities and New Jersey lawmakers continue to investigate what happened. A law firm hired by Christie's office found no wrongdoing by the governor or other key officials in his administration.

Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who served on the legislative committee, said she hoped the display would serve as a reminder to both New Jersey residents and those watching on national television of the governor's failures.

Christie's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

To coincide with the anniversary, the DNC also launched ads on mobile phones and the Pandora music app targeting commuters in Fort Lee, on the bridge and in northern Manhattan to remind them of the gridlock, which the speakers said had put thousands of people at risk.

Wasserman Schultz largely sidestepped questions about whether the effort should be seen as a sign that Democrats were worried about Christie's national prospects.

"I don't think Chris Christie is going to be president of the United States," she said.