For months, it had been rumored: Gov. Chris Christie's office ordered a traffic jam on the Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge to screw a mayor who had reneged on endorsing the governor. Today, a smoking gun emerged in the form of a Christie deputy's one-line email:

Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff for Christie, had emailed transportation appointee and Christie high-school classmate David Wildstein to cause "traffic problems in Fort Lee," home to Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich, who had endorsed Christie's Democratic opponent in the 2013 gubernatorial election. Wildstein's response: "Got it."

Both parties used personal emails, apparently hoping to avoid releases of their communications to the public. But the New York Times obtained the emails and reported on them this morning, appearing to substantiate the rumors that September's traffic problems on the Bridge were caused by political pettiness, not logistical need.

What effect will this have on Christie's presidential aspirations? It's hard to say; his trademark snippiness has rarely been a liability with voters before.

[Photo credit: AP]