The rabbi said he supported Chris Christie, but didn’t formally endorse him. Rabbi focus of 'traffic' jokes

Aides and allies of Gov. Chris Christie joked last year about causing “traffic problems” for a New Jersey rabbi, newly unredacted text messages show.

The messages were released Thursday as part of state lawmakers’ investigation of the Bridgegate scandal, in which Christie supporters are alleged to have orchestrated traffic jams near the George Washington Bridge as political payback against a Democratic mayor.


The text messages were between David Wildstein, whom the Republican governor appointed to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to the governor.

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Emails released in January showed that Kelly had told Wildstein last August that it was “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” That message came ahead of paralyzing traffic jams in the New Jersey town, where the Democratic mayor had not endorsed Christie for reelection as governor.

The unredacted material suggested that the rabbi, identified as Mendy Carlebach by The Record (N.J.) newspaper, had apparently annoyed Wildstein.

“He has officially pissed me off,” Wildstein texted Kelly on Aug. 19, according to the documents released by the Democratic-led state panel investigating the traffic scandal.

“We cannot cause traffic problems in front of his house, can we?” Kelly texted to Wildstein.

“Flights to Tel Aviv all mysteriously delayed,” replied Wildstein. At the time, he was still working at the Port Authority, which oversees area airports.

Wildstein also sent Kelly a photo of the rabbi appearing to pose with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Wildstein called the rabbi the “Jewish Cid Wilson.” Wilson, who ran for state Assembly in 2007, told The Record he has been mocked by Wildstein in the past for, in the newspaper’s words, “having celebrity Facebook friends.”

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Carlebach has served as a Port Authority police chaplain, according to The Record, which reported on the messages earlier Thursday. Carlebach told the newspaper he had “no idea” why Wildstein and Kelly were talking about him.

Carlebach also said he supported Christie, a potential presidential contender in 2016, but didn’t formally endorse him for reelection as governor and can’t remember if Christie’s campaign asked him for an endorsement, according to The New York Times.

Christie has denied any personal involvement in the Fort Lee traffic scheme and fired Kelly in January. Wildstein had already resigned from the Port Authority in December.

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Lawyers for Wildstein and Kelly did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

The Democratic leaders of the state panel investigating the traffic jams said the redactions were lifted after they consulted with Wildstein’s attorney.

Other information in Wildstein’s messages remains redacted because “the material was outside of the subject matter or date range requested,” the leaders said in a statement.