Assembly Deputy Speaker and Transportation Committee Chair John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) announced on Monday that he has referred the contempt charges brought by his committee on Thursday against former Port Authority employee David Wildstein to the Mercer County prosecutor’s office.
In a letter sent to Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini, Jr., Wisniewski included, among other things, a record of the committee’s motion to hold Wildstein in contempt of the committee, a transcript of the meeting and a copy of the state statute (N.J.S.A. 52:13-3) providing that such contempt constitutes a misdemeanor.
“The committee unanimously believes that Mr. Wildstein’s obfuscation of our investigation rises to the level of contempt under existing state statutes,” said Wisniewski. “I’m hopeful that the Mercer County prosecutor will see it fit to take up this matter in an effort to aid our quest to protect taxpayer resources from further abuse.”
Today’s actions were prompted by the Assembly Transportation Committee’s decision on Thursday to hold Wildstein in contempt for refusing to answer a majority of the committee’s questions while under oath after being subpoenaed by the committee .
A full copy of the letter can be viewed here.