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Gov. Chris Christie speaks onstage at Howard Stern's birthday tonight at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
(Larry Busacca/Getty Images for SiriusXM))
NEW YORK — Hours after new allegations emerged in the George Washington Bridge scandal, Gov. Chris Christie appeared at Howard Stern's birthday bash in New York City.
The Republican governor arrived at Hammerstein Ballroom for the party just before 6:30 p.m., but his motorcade drove past reporters.
Christie waved at media and said, "Good evening. How are ya?"
Just before 7 p.m., he took the stage.
"Happy birthday, Howard," Christie said. "I'm here to bring all praise from New Jersey to Howard Stern."
The governor then joked that he's not the "representative from New Jersey" that the crowd wanted to see and introduced Sayreville native Jon Bon Jovi.
"The representative of New Jersey you want to see right now ... is one of New Jersey's favorite sons, one of my good friends, and a great artist" Christie said. "Ladies and gentlemen, Jon Bon Jovi."
Bon Jovi then performed his band's 1987 hit "Wanted Dead Or Alive."
Christie left the theater around 7 p.m.
The attorney representing David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official who ordered the controversial lane closures at the George Washington Bridge last year, said in a letter today that Christie knew about the closures when they happened.
"Evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference" last month, the attorney, Alan Zegas, said.
The governor's office responded with a statement that Christie stands by his position that he "first learned lanes were closed when it was reported by the press."
"Mr. Wildstein's lawyer confirms what the governor has said all along — he had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened and whatever Mr. Wildstein's motivations were for closing them to begin with," the statement said.
Star-Ledger staff writers Brent Johnson and Jay Lustig contributed to this report.
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