For five mornings during the second week of September 2013, two access lanes to the George Washington Bridge were closed in an apparent act of political retribution meant to cause trouble for the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, NJ who did not endorse Governor Chris Christie for re-election.
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Federal prosecutors alleged on Monday that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie knew about his close associates’ scheme to shut down lanes to the George Washington Bridge as it was unfolding. The Republican governor has denied having any knowledge of the scandal until months later. Baroni joined the plot to use Port Authority resources to cripple the roadways by closing two of three local access lanes to the world’s busiest bridge, prosecutors say.
Opening statements began Monday in the trial of former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly and former bridge authority executive Bill Baroni.
According to Khanna, former Christie-appointed Port Authority officials David Wildstein and Bill Baroni “bragged” about the closures during a meeting with Christie at a September 11 memorial, informing him “about the fact that there were traffic problems in Fort Lee and that Mayor Sokolich was not getting his calls returned”.
But Wildstein, who has already pleaded guilty in the scheme, will testify for the feds about how he and Baroni crowed about their sleazy traffic move to Christie at the memorial event, Khanna said. Did I have any knowledge of it beforehand?
Baldassare even compared Wildstein to actor Harvey Keitel’s character “The Wolf”, who was called in to clean up bloody messes, in the flick “Pulp Fiction”.
“This is not a situation of distant friends”, Critchley said of Wildstein and Christie. “Not only was that conduct vindictive and mean-spirited, it was criminal”.
They characterized him as a vulgar, power-smitten opportunist aiming to ride Christie’s coattails to Washington, D.C., at a time when Christie, about to easily win re-election in his heavily Democratic state, was seen as a top presidential hopeful. But the scandal helped to erode his once-high approval ratings and was a factor in his unsuccessful run this year for the White House. At first, Christie responded with derision, and then, when the involvement of some of his top aides became indisputable, he said he was “stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here”.
They face counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, deprivation of civil rights and misusing an organization receiving federal funds.
The closings “were important to Trenton”, Baroni said, according to a 38-page federal indictment signed by Paul J. Fishman, the USA attorney for New Jersey. “Mr. Wildstein, when he testifies, will make clear that he has engaged in politics all his life, and in doing so he has engaged in a lot of dirty tricks”, the prosecutor said.
Baroni’s defense attorney Michael Baldassare, for example, characterized political operative David Wildstein as a “ventriloquist doll” used by the governor to carry out his various schemes, including his agenda at the Port Authority, where Christie appointed Wildstein in 2010.
Christie has repeatedly blamed the closings on the work of a few rogue staffers.
In addition to the email and text evidence, much of the government’s case will hinge on Wildstein’s testimony.
Baroni and Kelly have pleaded not guilty.
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Brock on Monday said the incident and its aftermath disqualifies Christie from serving on Trump’s presidential campaign. Jurors will hear opening statements Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, in Newark in the case against Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly.
