Matt Katz

Reporter, WNYC News

Matt Katz appears in the following:

Christie's Blurred Lines

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

WNYC

A 24-year-old former mid-level staffer for Gov. Christie's government office — and later, Christie's re-election campaign — withstood more than five hours of questioning Tuesday at a Bridgegate hearing that shed light on the Christie political operation at the Statehouse.

But the hearing didn't tell us is who was responsible ...

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Chris Christie's Immigration Story

Saturday, May 17, 2014

At his only commencement speech of the season Christie told a hushed audience a 16-minute story about the immigration experience of his grandmother.

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Bridgegate Now Has A Spaceship

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bridgegate is not just a traffic jam -- it is a scandal that touches on just about every mode of transportation mankind has so far developed. And now we have spaceships. A recap:

Cars: The Sept. 9-13, 2013, double-lane closures in the town of Fort Lee, NJ, to the George Washington ...

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Christie's Spokesperson Speaks

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Gov. Christie's press secretary, Michael Drewniak, is the latest Christie staffer to testify before a committee investigating the lane closures on the GWB last year. Matt Katz, reporter for NJPR, shares the details of his testimony, including any surprising revelations.

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Why Didn't Team Christie Hear The Bridgegate Alarms?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

WNYC

Today's marathon (seven hour!) testimony from a calm, respectful Michael Drewniak, the governor's colorfully-spoken spokesman (and unofficial liaison between the Port Authority and the governor's office), focused not on the Big Bridgegate Questions (who did this, and why?), but rather on a secondary question: Was there a cover-up? 

Drewniak's testimony, ...

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Christie's Spox: Gov Knew Nothing of GWB Lane Closures

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

WNYC

Michael Drewniak has worked for Christie for 12 years, and is the closest aide to be questioned publicly so far.

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This Week in Politics: The Politics of Budgets

Saturday, May 10, 2014

WNYC

Mayor Bill de Blasio's budget was all good news — which was not the case for Gov. Chris Christie.

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"You Can't Trust Anyone"

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

A former Christie staffer, Christina Renna, testified before an investigative committee yesterday - the first time a Christie official has given Bridgegate testimony. Matt Katz, reporter for NJPR explains what we learned from the testimony, including how Bridget Kelly told Renna "you can't trust anyone" after she was fired. Andrea Bernstein, senior editor for politics and policy for WNYC News, talks about her reporting on what the Bridgegate scandal means for the Port Authority and reform of the bi-state agency.

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What We Learned at First Bridgegate Testimony

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

In the first Bridgegate testimony from anyone in Gov. Chris Christie's administration, we heard from Christina Renna, a former Christie staffer, for five hours on Tuesday. Renna worked as a supervisor in the Intergovernmental Affairs unit of the governor's office, directly under Bridget Kelly, who wrote the "time for some ...

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What Won't You Find In Bridgegate Documents? Christie's Emails and Texts

Monday, May 05, 2014

Just one email.

The internal review of the office of Gov. Chris Christie in the wake of the Bridgegate and Sandy funding scandals yielded 4,612 pages —that included summaries of interviews with 75 people, plus dozens of emails and text messages from top Christie staffers. But the only shred of ...

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Republicans On Bridgegate Panel Are Getting Angrier and Angrier

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The Republicans on the New Jersey Legislature's Bridgegate committee are getting angry.

"The committee's leadership and operations have demonstrated that the committee's purpose turned from an inquiry into the clearly flawed inner-workings of the Port Authority, into a political vehicle designed to damage the governor's standing and popularity," the Republicans ...

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Bridgegate Investigators To Samson: Time's Up

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

WNYC

Legislative investigators have sent a letter to former Port Authority Chairman David Samson, who resigned amid investigations over his role in Bridgegate and his business practices, mandating that he turn over documents that were requested more than three months ago.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, the Democrat who co-chairs the Legislature's investigative ...

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Christie Makes Totally Boring Choice for Port Authority Chair

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

WNYC

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has chosen a retired insurance executive, John Degnan, to serve as chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Read More

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Christie vs. Colorado

Sunday, April 27, 2014

WNYC

Chris Christie has picked yet another fight. This time, with the state of Colorado. The response from the Rockies was initially mild. Then it got ugly.

In recent weeks Christie has fielded an inordinate number of questions about the legalization of marijuana. He is, as always, unequivocal in his opposition, ...

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Christie Warns of Crisis — Economic, Not Political

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Christie talks in DC, but not many Democrats were around to hear the message.

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Meet Christie's New Ombudsman

Friday, April 18, 2014

WNYC

As part of the internal review into the scandals whirling around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, lawyers recommended the governor hire an ombudsman. On Friday, Christie announced that he appointed Patrick Hobbs for the position.

Age: 54

Hometown: Basking Ridge

Party: Democrat

Experience: Seton Hall Law School Dean and chair ...

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Christie and McGreevey: Unlikely Gubernatorial BFFs

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Once upon a time, the U.S. Attorney in Newark was investigating the governor in Trenton for corruption. Today, that U.S. Attorney, Chris Christie, is now a governor under investigation himself by a different U.S. Attorney, and he has formed an unlikely friendship with Jim McGreevey, the former governor he once ...

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The Mastro Report: Behind the Scenes

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Memos from the Mastro report that cleared Gov. Christie of any wrongdoing in the Bridgegate scandal were just released. Matt Katz, reporter for NJPR, explains what the documents tell us about how the investigation was conducted, the skyrocketing cost to taxpayers and what was left out of the report.

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He Said, She Said: Quotable Moments From The Bridgegate Interviews

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

WNYC

Even though the documents read like a defense of Gov. Chris Christie, the newly-released interviews include some revealing quotes.

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NJ Taxpayers Paying for Lawyers on Both Sides of Bridgegate

Monday, April 14, 2014

The state is paying $340 dollars an hour.

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