Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey, testified that this Christie association was partial reason why he didn’t interview David Wildstein during an internal review of the September 2013 traffic jams.
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Earlier Friday, Matt Mowers, a former campaign staffer for Christie who now works for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, testified he told Kelly that Democratic Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich wouldn’t endorse Christie for re-election.
Kelly, the governor’s former deputy chief of staff, and Baroni, once a close Christie associate and deputy executive director of the Port Authority, were charged with nine counts of conspiracy and fraud.
Wildstein has pleaded guilty in the scheme. Christie has denied prior knowledge of the plot and wasn’t charged. Kelly, also 44, is the Governor’s former deputy chief of staff.
They have pleaded not guilty and have said the government has twisted federal law to turn their actions into crimes.
David Wildstein, a former executive at the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey who pleaded guilty and is testifying for the prosecution, described how requests from state officials went first to a top Christie aide for approval – for everything from patronage jobs at the agency to tours of the World Trade Center site, which the Port Authority owns.
Foye said that Wildstein “terrorized people”, tried to tap the phones of co-workers and was hated by “hundreds and thousands” of people at the agency. He pleaded guilty previous year to orchestrating traffic jams in 2013 to punish a Democratic mayor who didn’t endorse Christie. Both Baroni and Kelly are now facing nine charges in connection with their involvement in the scandal. They claim Wildstein orchestrated the scheme.
Chris Christie’s office started keeping detailed lists of gifts and support provided to NJ’s Democratic elected officials in order to more easily “remind them” how good the governor had been to them when it came time for re-election, it emerged at the Bridgegate trial Friday.
Prosecutors said Monday that Wildstein bragged to Christie about the lane-closures on the third of their four days, something Christie has long denied.
Foye also testified that he couldn’t fire Wildstein because it was “practically complicated”, though he conceded he had the statutory authority to fire him.
Christie has denied knowing about the bridge scheme until well after it was carried out, and a taxpayer-funded report he commissioned absolved him of wrongdoing.
Wildstein was Baroni’s second-in-command at the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey, which owns and operates the bridge.
Wildstein said that Baroni hired him as director of interstate capital projects but, in practice, his “job was to act as Mr. Baroni’s chief of staff”.
His testimony could last a week.
Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly, and former Port Authority of NY and New Jersey executive Bill Baroni are charged with closing access lanes to the George Washington Bridge to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing Christie.
Ahead of Wildstein’s testimony, Matt Mowers took the stand and offered new evidence.
Kelly, who like Baroni has pleaded not guilty to the charges, has said her emails were meant to be sarcastic.
Tina Lado, head of the Port Authority’s community outreach arm, testified her office, which normally communicates with local officials if roadwork or traffic studies could potentially have an impact on traffic in their towns, wasn’t notified about the alleged traffic study at the bridge.
During his Friday testimony, Wildstein was only questioned by attorneys from the US attorney’s office.
Wildstein pleaded guilty a year ago for his role in the politically motivated George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal.
Attorneys say David Wildstein is one of the next three witnesses listed in the trial of two former allies of Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
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Baroni was Wildstein’s boss at the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey, the agency that operates the bridges, airports and other facilities including the World Trade Center.
