My new CJR column explains why the Chris Christie bridge scandal is likely to be a significant news story and how it could damage him in the GOP invisible primary. Here’s how it begins:

Would Chris Christie’s administration block traffic lanes from Fort Lee, NJ, onto the George Washington Bridge to retaliate against its Democratic mayor for endorsing Christie’s opponent? Back in December, I dubbed these seemingly far-fetched allegations a conspiracy theory—but as I said at the time, sometimes conspiracy theories are true! Pundits and critics like MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow were ahead of the facts, but today’s revelation—reported most compellingly in the Bergen County Record and The Wall Street Journal—of a series of emails between top Christie aides and administration officials cartoonishly plotting to create “traffic problems in Fort Lee” will turn this apparent abuse of power into a major scandal.

For more, read the whole thing.