By . David Martosko, U.s. Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 18:00 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:39 EST, 14 January 2014 . The Democratic lawmaker leading a new 'super committee' into Chris Christie and Bridgegate today said he will turn the screw on other aides he suspects were involved in the affair or the cover-up. 'The investigation will be broader than it started,' General Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski told MailOnline during an interview at the state capitol in Trenton, just minutes before the governor delivered his annual State of the State address. 'It is going to continue' added Vincent Prieto, the assembly's newly minted speaker said after the speech. 'Public safety and abuse of power are our number one issues.' Scroll down for video . Police escort: Chris Christie delivers his State of the State address today as the Bridgegate scandal threatens to undermine his potential run at the White House . Feeling the heat: Christie's former chief of staff, Kevin O'Dowd, left, will be dragged into the investigation, General Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski, right with incoming Democratic Vincent Prieto, the New Jersey assembly's newly minted speaker . Wisniewski, who also chairs the transportation committee that has been looking into the so-called 'Bridgegate' scandal, received a warm handshake from the governor as he entered the dramatically appointed state assembly chamber. But the Democratic lawmaker said he doesn't believe Christie's claim that he was in the dark when his aides closed off lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge as payback to a Democratic mayor who refused to endorse his re-election bid. Christie led off his annual speech by promising to cooperate with investigators. 'Without a doubt we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries to ensure this breach of trust does not happen again,' he said. He fired one of his top aides, then-Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly, last week. Wisniewski said he thinks it's likely Christie's former chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd – Kelly’s boss – knew as much about the shenanigans as she did. Pressure's on: Christie today said he would fully co-operate with investigators during his State of the State address . Asked if O'Dowd might have been in the dark, Wisniewski replied, 'It's hard to imagine – you know, in any organization, you've got somebody who reports to you and they've done something improper, it's hard to believe.' But 'we don't know yes or no.' O'Dowd is Christie's current pick to be the next New Jersey attorney general, but the controversy has delayed his confirmation hearing because of the possibility that Wisniewski's new committee could subpoena him. The transportation committee issued subpoenas of other officials last year, gathering thousands of pages of emails and text messages. Among them were messages appearing to show Bridget Kelly, the governor's then-deputy chief of staff, conspiring with a Port Authority official to slow traffic in the town of Fort Lee. Emails produced by subpoenas, Wisniewski said, showed that 'the governor has shown a remarkable lack of curiosity in his questioning of his staff, and in his termination of Bridget Kelly.' Suspicious: Wisniewski said he was puzzled about how Christie could fire Bridget Kelly without knowing what she had done . He called it 'suspicious' that Christie would fire her without a debriefing about her role in the scheme. 'This man, as U.S. Attorney, did investigations before breakfast,' the long-time lawmaker quipped. Christie 'was so incensed that he fires her,' he asked, 'and his curiosity escapes him because he doesn't sit down with her, or have somebody sit down with him, and say, "Bridget, who told you to do this?"' 'We know that there was improper, potentially illegal behavior by a member of the governor's staff,' he said, referring to Kelly. 'We know that there are people in the governor's office that knew about it, and – to take the governor at his word – just filed it away and never said a word?' Christie appeared relaxed during his speech, but acknowledged that 'the last week has certainly tested this administration.' 'Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve.' 'I . know our citizens deserve better. Much better,' he said. ‘I am the . governor and I am ultimately responsible for all that happens on my . watch – both good and bad.' Wisniewski . promised that new subpoenas would be issued 'either Thursday or . Friday,' covering both Kelly and Bill Stepien, a Christie political . confidant who the governor said last week approached the wrongdoing with . a grain of salt, putting his judgment into question. Earlier subpoenas, he said, will be 'grandfathered in' and still in force. Man of the moment: Wisniewski said subpoenas will be issued late r this week to more of Christie's staff . The bridge scandal has produced more questions than answers so far, including uncertainty about Gov. Christie's political future. While details of what his staffers and appointees were up to didn't emerge until after he was re-elected in November, the bridge lane closures first attracted widespread media attention in September. Speculation has run rampant about why New Jersey Democratic pols – including failed gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono – didn't press the issue harder before the 2013 election. But however the political decision was made, Wisniewski insisted, it was at the state level, and not influenced by national politicos invested in the 2016 presidential race. Asked if Hillary Clinton's camp, or those of Republican senators Ted Cruz or Rand Paul, have been pressing him behind the scenes, he offered an unequivocal denial. 'I haven't talked to anyone like that,' he said. 'Nope.'
General Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski said he finds it hard to believe that Christie's former chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd wasn't aware of Bridgegate .
He adds that he finds it hardly credible that Christie didn't know either .
Wisniewski said New Jersey governor showed 'remarkable lack of curiosity' when firing deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly .
By . David Martosko, U.s. Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 18:00 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 18:39 EST, 14 January 2014 . The Democratic lawmaker leading a new 'super committee' into Chris Christie and Bridgegate today said he will turn the screw on other aides he suspects were involved in the affair or the cover-up. 'The investigation will be broader than it started,' General Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski told MailOnline during an interview at the state capitol in Trenton, just minutes before the governor delivered his annual State of the State address. 'It is going to continue' added Vincent Prieto, the assembly's newly minted speaker said after the speech. 'Public safety and abuse of power are our number one issues.' Scroll down for video . Police escort: Chris Christie delivers his State of the State address today as the Bridgegate scandal threatens to undermine his potential run at the White House . Feeling the heat: Christie's former chief of staff, Kevin O'Dowd, left, will be dragged into the investigation, General Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski, right with incoming Democratic Vincent Prieto, the New Jersey assembly's newly minted speaker . Wisniewski, who also chairs the transportation committee that has been looking into the so-called 'Bridgegate' scandal, received a warm handshake from the governor as he entered the dramatically appointed state assembly chamber. But the Democratic lawmaker said he doesn't believe Christie's claim that he was in the dark when his aides closed off lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge as payback to a Democratic mayor who refused to endorse his re-election bid. Christie led off his annual speech by promising to cooperate with investigators. 'Without a doubt we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries to ensure this breach of trust does not happen again,' he said. He fired one of his top aides, then-Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly, last week. Wisniewski said he thinks it's likely Christie's former chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd – Kelly’s boss – knew as much about the shenanigans as she did. Pressure's on: Christie today said he would fully co-operate with investigators during his State of the State address . Asked if O'Dowd might have been in the dark, Wisniewski replied, 'It's hard to imagine – you know, in any organization, you've got somebody who reports to you and they've done something improper, it's hard to believe.' But 'we don't know yes or no.' O'Dowd is Christie's current pick to be the next New Jersey attorney general, but the controversy has delayed his confirmation hearing because of the possibility that Wisniewski's new committee could subpoena him. The transportation committee issued subpoenas of other officials last year, gathering thousands of pages of emails and text messages. Among them were messages appearing to show Bridget Kelly, the governor's then-deputy chief of staff, conspiring with a Port Authority official to slow traffic in the town of Fort Lee. Emails produced by subpoenas, Wisniewski said, showed that 'the governor has shown a remarkable lack of curiosity in his questioning of his staff, and in his termination of Bridget Kelly.' Suspicious: Wisniewski said he was puzzled about how Christie could fire Bridget Kelly without knowing what she had done . He called it 'suspicious' that Christie would fire her without a debriefing about her role in the scheme. 'This man, as U.S. Attorney, did investigations before breakfast,' the long-time lawmaker quipped. Christie 'was so incensed that he fires her,' he asked, 'and his curiosity escapes him because he doesn't sit down with her, or have somebody sit down with him, and say, "Bridget, who told you to do this?"' 'We know that there was improper, potentially illegal behavior by a member of the governor's staff,' he said, referring to Kelly. 'We know that there are people in the governor's office that knew about it, and – to take the governor at his word – just filed it away and never said a word?' Christie appeared relaxed during his speech, but acknowledged that 'the last week has certainly tested this administration.' 'Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve.' 'I . know our citizens deserve better. Much better,' he said. ‘I am the . governor and I am ultimately responsible for all that happens on my . watch – both good and bad.' Wisniewski . promised that new subpoenas would be issued 'either Thursday or . Friday,' covering both Kelly and Bill Stepien, a Christie political . confidant who the governor said last week approached the wrongdoing with . a grain of salt, putting his judgment into question. Earlier subpoenas, he said, will be 'grandfathered in' and still in force. Man of the moment: Wisniewski said subpoenas will be issued late r this week to more of Christie's staff . The bridge scandal has produced more questions than answers so far, including uncertainty about Gov. Christie's political future. While details of what his staffers and appointees were up to didn't emerge until after he was re-elected in November, the bridge lane closures first attracted widespread media attention in September. Speculation has run rampant about why New Jersey Democratic pols – including failed gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono – didn't press the issue harder before the 2013 election. But however the political decision was made, Wisniewski insisted, it was at the state level, and not influenced by national politicos invested in the 2016 presidential race. Asked if Hillary Clinton's camp, or those of Republican senators Ted Cruz or Rand Paul, have been pressing him behind the scenes, he offered an unequivocal denial. 'I haven't talked to anyone like that,' he said. 'Nope.'
it started,' General Assembly Deputy Speaker John heat: Christie's former chief of staff, Kevin doesn't believe Christie's claim that he was in chief of staff Kevin O'Dowd – Kelly’s boss – knew they've done something improper, it's hard to lack of curiosity in his questioning of his Suspicious: Wisniewski said he was puzzled about how Christie could fire Bridget Kelly without rampant about why New Jersey Democratic pols –