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Until her resignation, Turner had chaired the board's ethics committee. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appointed her to the role last year. A public relations professional, her appointment was championed by Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat.
When police pulled over the Toyota Corolla with Nevada plates that Saturday afternoon, they discovered the car's registration was out of date and the driver didn't have a current insurance card. The car would have to be impounded, Savitsky informed the driver, who handled the news calmly.
Then Turner arrived.
"She immediately walked up to PO Casper and I and began attempting to hand me a business card identifying herself as 'the commissioner of the Port Authority,'" wrote Savitsky, referring to his fellow officer. "She also exhibited a full-size gold badge in a badge wallet that had the same printed on it. She then began a line of questioning in a demanding nature."
In the video, she can be heard identifying herself as "the commissioner of the Port Authority." She said that meant that she was "heading up over 4,000 police officers" apparently referring to the Port Authority Police Department. According to the Port Authority, the agency employs about 1,600 police officers.
She demanded that the police explain to her the reason for the police stop and took affront when the police told her they were under no obligation to, since the four people in the car were adults.
An attorney for Turner didn't immediately provide additional comment.
"The video speaks for itself," Port Authority spokesman Ben Branham said. "The conduct was indefensible. The board takes its recently adopted Code of Ethics for commissioners extremely seriously and was preparing to form a special committee to review the findings of the inspector general investigation and take action at this Thursday's board meeting. Commissioner Turner's resignation was appropriate given her outrageous conduct."
In the months following 9/11 you were being touted as one of NBC's rising stars. The New York Post even mentioned you as possible successor to Katie Couric. Then, just as quickly, it seemed as if you dropped out of sight. What happened?
The Iraq war started to develop and I gave a very controversial speech at Kansas State [University] about the press's responsibility in covering international affairs. I sent out a cautionary note to all my colleagues covering this conflict and chastened the press corps not to wave the banner and cover warfare in a jingoistic way. It didn't sit well with my employers at NBC - who are no longer there. I think they overacted. I was banished. I sat in the outfield for a long time.
When did you officially leave NBC?
I left in 2004 - a few months after my contract expired. I was very much in the warehouse while my contract petered out.
Looking back on that time, what were the biggest lessons you learned?
On one hand you could say, "Keep your mouth shut while our nation is embroiled in war," but I don't think that was a responsible way to behave. If I have been fortunate enough to have risen to level in this business where people would actually listen to me, then I think I have a duty to convey all truths that I encounter. I felt it was my duty at the time. I was a war correspondent who had seen that the hearts and minds of the Arab world were not that easy to win.
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