TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Democratic mayor of a town severely flooded by Superstorm Sandy has ratcheted up her allegation that Republican Gov. Chris Christie's administration tied recovery funds to her support for a prime real estate project and said that she turned over documents to a federal prosecutor investigating his staff. 
 
 FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 file photograph, Hoboken Mayor, Dawn Zimmer speaks to the media as she stands near the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J. Zimmer, mayor of a New Jersey city that sustained... (Associated Press) 
 
 While a spokesman for Christie called Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's claims "categorically false," Zimmer said she met with federal prosecutors in Newark for several hours Sunday at their request and turned over a journal and other documents. 
 
 On Saturday, Zimmer said Christie's lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno, and a top community development official separately told her that recovery funds would flow to her city if she expedited the commercial development project by the New York-based Rockefeller Group. 
 
 On Sunday, she went a step further and said on CNN's "State of the Union with Candy Crowley" that Guadagno told her that the request "was a direct message from the governor." 
 
 "The lieutenant governor pulled me aside and said, essentially, 'You've got to move forward with the Rockefeller project. This project is really important to the governor.' And she said that she had been with him on Friday night and that this was a direct message from the governor," Zimmer recalled Guadagno saying. 
 
 Christie spokesman Colin Reed issued a statement Sunday saying, "Mayor Zimmer's categorization about her conversation in Hoboken is categorically false." 
 
 Zimmer said in a statement Sunday night that she will "provide any requested information and testify under oath about the facts of what happened when the Lieutenant Governor came to Hoboken and told me that Sandy aid would be contingent on moving forward with a private development project." 
 
 Hoboken, a low-lying city of 50,000 across from Manhattan, was nearly swallowed by the Hudson River during Sandy, with three of its electrical substations and most of its firehouses flooded, businesses and homes submerged, the train station inundated with water, and people trapped in high-rises because elevators didn't work and lobbies were underwater. Zimmer has proposed a comprehensive flood mitigation plan and has applied for $100 million in grants to help make it happen. 
 
 Zimmer said she didn't reveal the conversation with Guadagno until now because she feared no one would believe her. But, with Hoboken having received just $342,000 out of $1.8 billion in Sandy recovery aid from the state in the first funding round, she said, she is speaking out in hopes her city won't be shut out in a second funding wave, when the state is due to disperse $1.4 billion. Hoboken has also received millions in federal aid. 
 
 Christie, meanwhile, is embroiled in another scandal that threatens to undercut his second term and future presidential ambitions. The U.S. attorney's office and a state legislative panel are investigating allegations that Christie aides engineered traffic jams in Fort Lee by closing lanes to the George Washington Bridge, possibly as payback against the town's Democratic mayor, who didn't endorse Christie for re-election. 
 
 Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, the legislator leading the state investigation, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that his committee would look into Zimmer's political payback allegation as well. 
 
 "I think we have to give the allegations serious thought," he said, "because this is a pattern we've heard time and time again throughout New Jersey." 
 
 Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, told "Meet the Press" that Wisniewski is part of a "partisan witch hunt" and should step down. 
 
 Wisniewski countered that his committee of eight Democrats and four Republicans is bipartisan and would continue its investigation. 
 
 The committee issued 20 new subpoenas Friday as the traffic jam plot reached deep into Christie's administration; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the bridge; and Christie's re-election campaign. 
 
 Zimmer said another member of Christie's administration, Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable, approached her later in May to reiterate what the lieutenant governor had said. According to Zimmer, he told her Sandy aid "would start flowing" to Hoboken if she backed the development project. 
 
 Lisa Ryan, a spokesman for Constable, said Zimmer's claim was false and questioned why she waited eight months to come forward. Ryan also asked why Zimmer didn't take her concern to authorities "if she was so distraught." 
 
 David Samson, whom Christie picked to chair the Port Authority, is among those subpoenaed. He is a founding partner of the law firm representing the Rockefeller Group, the New York City developer seeking to build commercial space in Hoboken. A lobbyist for the group, Lori Grifa, was a member of Christie's administration before leaving to work for a law firm. Calls to the firm went unreturned over the weekend. 
 
 Wisniewski said he has no plans to subpoena the governor, and there is no evidence Christie knew about any lane closing scheme in advance. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Katie Zezima contributed to this report. ||||| Story highlights New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno says accusations by Hoboken Mayor are "false" 
 
 Guadagno says she did not deliver an ultimatum on behalf of Gov. Chris Christie 
 
 Her remarks will be the first time a senior Christie official has addressed the charges 
 
 Hoboken's Mayor says Guadagno told her that Sandy relief funds hinged on her backing real estate venture 
 
 New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is expected to "categorically deny" allegations Monday that she gave Hoboken's Mayor an ultimatum regarding Superstorm Sandy recovery aid. 
 
 Guadagno's denial flies in the face of claims made by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who said Sunday that Guadagno told her to support a redevelopment project backed by Christie or lose Sandy recovery funds. 
 
 Zimmer also connected Christie to the threat, saying that Guadagno told her the message was coming directly from Christie. 
 
 Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," Zimmer said, "She said that to me -- is that this is a direct message from the Governor," Zimmer said, referring to Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who Zimmer said approached her in a parking lot in May to deliver the message. 
 
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 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was not indicted as part of the Bridgegate scandal. But one of his appointees pled guilty and 2 former staffers face criminal charges. Hide Caption 1 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – David Wildstein, a former top Christie appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud on federally funded property and one civil rights violation. Hide Caption 2 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Bridget Anne Kelly, Gov. Chris Christie deputy chief of staff, was fired when her e-mail about it being time for "traffic in Fort Lee" became the center of the scandal. She has been charged with nine criminal counts, including conspiracy and fraud. Hide Caption 3 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Bill Baroni was executive deputy director of the Port Authority until he resigned amid the scandal in December 2014. He has been charged them with nine criminal counts, including conspiracy and fraud. Hide Caption 4 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer claims New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno approached her in a parking lot last May and told her that Sandy recovery aid for her town depended on her support of a redevelopment project backed by the governor. Hide Caption 5 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in the Christie controversies – Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno denies telling Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer that her town's Superstorm Sandy relief money depended on her support for a redevelopment project proposed by a company with ties to Gov. Chris Christie that he had backed. Hide Caption 6 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in the Christie controversies – Maria Comella, a deputy chief of staff in Christie's office, had been monitoring the media reaction weeks after the George Washington Bridge traffic fiasco. She has been subpoenaed as part of the state legislative investigation. Hide Caption 7 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie controversies – Randy Mastro, a former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former deputy mayor of New York, will head the legal team representing the Christie administration in various investigations relating to the George Washington Bridge political scandal. He once a the federal racketeering lawsuit that forced the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to hold democratic elections and undergo court supervision. Hide Caption 8 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Reid Schar, a key figure in the federal prosecution of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, will assist the special state Assembly committee investigating the bridge scandal that has engulfed current and former aides of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Hide Caption 9 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, a Democrat, said he was concerned about the bidding process for using $25 million in Superstorm Sandy relief funds for a marketing campaign to promote tourism at the Jersey Shore. Hide Caption 10 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – E-mails suggest that Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich was the apparent target of an alleged political payback scheme involving traffic jams around the George Washington Bridge. He met with Chris Christie in early January to discuss the matter, and said the governor was "gracious and apologetic." Hide Caption 11 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – New Jersey Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski is chairman of the special state Assembly committee investigating the George Washington Bridge scandal. The panel has subpoenaed current and former top Christie aides as well members of his political organization, seeking documents and other materials. Chris Christie has not been subpoenaed but his office has. Hide Caption 12 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Michael Drewniak, Christie's chief spokesman, has been subpoenaed by a special state Assembly committee investigating the George Washington Bridge scandal. It is seeking documents and other materials. Although there is nothing to suggest Drewniak was involved in the scandal, e-mails released by investigators show he met with a key figure, David Wildstein, two days before Wildstein resigned from his job as a top Christie appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Hide Caption 13 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – David Samson, Port Authority chairman, said its board had no knowledge of the George Washington Bridge traffic jam mess until five days after the fact. He has been subpoenaed by the state assembly committee and is also a partner and founding member of Wolff & Samson, the law firm that represented the Rockefeller Group in the Hoboken redevelopment plan. Hide Caption 14 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority, said access lane closures that resulted in the George Washington Bridge traffic mess didn't follow proper agency protocols. He ordered the lanes reopened and has been subpoenaed by the state Assembly committee as part of its investigation into the bridge scandal. Hide Caption 15 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democrat who also didn't endorse Christie, has raised his own suspicions about his cooled relationship with the administration. Hide Caption 16 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat, has been pressing for information about the scandal. Hide Caption 17 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Democrat Barbara Buono is a New Jersey state senator who challenged Chris Christie this past November and lost in a landslide. She derided Christie during the campaign as representing "the worst combination of bully and bossism," and she brought up the George Washington Bridge traffic mess as an example. Hide Caption 18 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Bill Stepien managed Chris Christie's two successful campaigns for govenor. E-mails suggest he was aware of the bridge lane closures, and Christie has asked him to give up his political role. He, too, has been subpoenaed by the state committee investigating the matter. Hide Caption 19 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – Scott Rechler, vice chairman of the Port Authority's board of commissioners, e-mailed other representatives of the agency saying he was disturbed that traffic was snarled "without regard to this being the Jewish high holiday weekend" last September. Rechler was appointed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Hide Caption 20 of 21 Photos: Who's who in Christie bridge scandal Who's who in Christie bridge scandal – E-mails suggest Regina Egea, then a senior staffer and the governor's point person to the Port Authority and other agencies, was aware of concerns the George Washington Bridge lane closures were not part of an ongoing traffic study as the Christie administration initially claimed. She's now Christie's incoming chief of staff and has also been subpoenaed by the state Assembly committee. Hide Caption 21 of 21 
 
 The alleged incident happened last May after Guadagno toured a grocery store that had reopened after suffering $10 million in flooding damage from Sandy. 
 
 The lieutenant governor recalls having a conversation with Zimmer that day, but says she remembers Zimmer arguing that Sandy recovery aid and redevelopment were the same issue, according to the source close to Guadagno, who was not authorized to speak publicly. 
 
 "Kim remembers in their conversation that she was talking about redevelopment and making investments in Hoboken. She remembers Zimmer pressing Kim for money for Sandy. Kim remembers saying you can't tie the two together," the source said. "And she remembers Zimmer continuing to press and showing her a map of the city and pressing for aid for Sandy." 
 
 Guadagno remembers it as a "friendly conversation," the source said. "Zimmer was laser-focused on getting Hoboken money for Sandy recovery and that is not the role Kim Guadagno plays in the administration," the source said. 
 
 She remembers telling Zimmer that the administration would like to do more to redevelop Hoboken, but she doesn't recall talking to her specifically about The Rockefeller Group project. But the source said Guadagno, a veteran prosecutor and former county sheriff, is still going through her records, preparing for a possible subpoena. 
 
 In remarks Monday morning -- at a volunteer event in Union Beach, New Jersey honoring the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service -- Guadagno is expected to make the point that, "My job in the governor's office is to oversee redevelopment and reinvestment in New Jersey," the source said. 
 
 In fact, a governor's directive prevents Guadagno from working on the Sandy recovery efforts because she was personally affected by the superstorm -- her home in Monmouth Beach was damaged by the storm, the source said. She was at the Hoboken grocery store in her role as an advocate for the state's business community. 
 
 "Kim can't talk about Sandy," the source said. "She can't do it." 
 
 And Guadagno twice returned to Hoboken after that May visit -- once spending more than two hours touring farmers' markets with Zimmer -- and the Hoboken mayor never brought up the May conversation or indicated that it had upset her, the source said. 
 
 Zimmer's comments Saturday and Sunday are a change from what she told CNN on January 11. She said then that while she wondered whether Sandy aid funds were being withheld because she didn't endorse the governor's re-election, she concluded that "I don't think that's the case." 
 
 "I don't think it was retaliation and I don't have any reason to think it's retaliation, but I'm not satisfied with the amount of money I've gotten so far," Zimmer told CNN then. She did not mention her concerns about the redevelopment project.
– New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno has "wholeheartedly" denied a mayor's claim that Chris Christie's team demanded a quid pro quo to release Sandy relief funds, CNN reports. Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's "version of our conversation in May of 2013 is not only false but is illogical and does not withstand scrutiny when all of the facts are examined. Any suggestion that Sandy funds were tied to the approval of any project in New Jersey is completely false," Guadagno said today. "Hoboken has in no way trailed similarly situated communities in the receipt of rebuilding funds," state officials say, per the New York Times. In fact, they argue, the city has actually received far more than some others. The Times notes that it's difficult to tell exactly how money was distributed because the system is so complicated. Meanwhile, Zimmer is adding to her accusation, the AP reports. She told CNN's State of the Union yesterday that Guadagno called the alleged threat "a direct message from the governor." Yesterday afternoon, Zimmer says, she met with prosecutors from the US attorney's office in Newark as they investigate her claims, the Times reports.