Wildstein has pled guilty in the case and pointed to the two staffers on trial.
Advertisement
Chrisite knew that his associates were involved in a plan to shut down lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge, according to a New York Times account of the trial, and that the closings were meant to punish the For Lee mayor for declining to support his 2013 re-election bid. “They wanted to throw her under the presidential bus”.
Attorneys for Kelly and Baroni previously confirmed to CNN that they will both testify in their defense. He provided leads and information about lawmakers and lobbyists. Since there’s so little time between the election and Inauguration Day, the groundwork Christie is doing now for Trump will likely prove very important in influencing what decisions Trump would make if he wins.
Kelly and Baroni’s attorneys also will present opening statements today.
The “crushing traffic jam”, intentionally caused.
The defendants abused their powers. The “radio silence” in which Baroni and Kelly ignored cries for help from Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.
The trio concocted a cover story, saying the closure was part of a traffic study, prosecutors contend.
John Brabender, a Washington-based Republican consultant, said the bridge issue will have “minimal impact” on Christie’s standing with Republicans outside New Jersey. Asked for comment, the governor’s office pointed to previous Christie statements that contradict prosecutors’ claims about when he learned of his associates’ involvement.
As CBS2’s Christine Sloan reported, there have already been startling accusations about Christie.
Mr. Christie has insisted that he had no knowledge of the plot to close the lanes, and said that he did not recall being told about the closings while they were happening. He has claimed that evidence exists showing Christie was aware of the scheme. Kelly, though, knew that Wildstein was “a personal friend of Chris Christie going back 30 years”.
And much like Baroni’s attorney argued prosecutors’ chief witness – Baroni’s second in command at the Port Authority – couldn’t be trusted, Critchley echoed those remarks. She didn’t know, he said, that Wildstein “was insane”. Knowing of his reputation, though, Kelly and Baroni still chose to work with him, Khannna said.
He’s “a vicious guy”. “He has a twisted mind”. He’s “crazy”, “a freakish person”, “a habitual liar”.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton is scheduled to last approximately six weeks. He stole Baroni’s computer’s hard drive when fired from the Port Authority. “The government made a deal with the devil and they’re stuck with him”.
Pictures of the event show Christie sharing a laugh with Wildstein, who is now the principal witness for the prosecution.
“We’ll bring whoever is responsible for this to justice as soon as possible”, Christie said. “Those are words that didn’t come from David Wildstein’s mouth”.
Christie had once been seen as a shining star in the GOP.
Christie, who unsuccessfully ran for president earlier this year, was also considered a potential running mate for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. He too assailed Wildstein’s character. He was depicted as pulling the strings on multiple conspiracies, striking fear into people and manipulating supposed friends. Frank Lautenberg’s suit jacket before a 1982 debate.
Baldassare depicted Baroni, a former Mercer County legislator, as a pillar of rectitude who served as a willing and reliable informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as it investigated political corruption from 2006 to 2010 – the period that overlapped Christie’s tenure as USA attorney for New Jersey.
“Does she wish that she never used the ‘time for some traffic problems?’ ” Critchley said.
“Bridget will get on the stand and tell the truth”, Critchley said.
And then there is a second list that officials close to the case say contains names of others who had some knowledge of the scheme. “He said, ‘Go ahead, let’s do it.'” Baldassare responded that that’s “demonstrably not accurate”.
It didn’t take long for Baldassare to try and discredit Wildstein.
Advertisement
Wildstein was a high school classmate of Christie’s, and served as the Port Authority’s director of interstate capital projects, a position created for him.
