Kelly, Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, the Port Authority’s former deputy chief of staff, are accused of ordering traffic jams near the George Washington Bridge to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey, for not backing the governor’s re-election in 2013. He said it was a narrative suggested by Baroni and Wildstein.
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Christie has long denied any knowledge of the lane closures, which went on for four days.
The balance of power between NY and New Jersey with regard to the Port Authority has been repeatedly brought up by the defense. John Ma, chief of staff to Port Authority’s executive director, Patrick Foye leaves the Martin Luther King Jr. federal courthouse in Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 in Newark, N.J. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s former deputy.
The Latest on the fifth day of the George Washington Bridge lane-closing trial (all times local): 2:40 p.m.
Wildstein, at the beginning of his testimony, said he and Baroni often talked of the “one-constituent rule”, referring to Christie as the only constituent they needed to serve. He pleaded guilty past year to orchestrating traffic jams in 2013 to punish a Democratic mayor who didn’t endorse Christie. Foye says people at the agency hated Wildstein and they were even afraid he was wiretapping them via a switchboard at his desk.
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. They claim Wildstein orchestrated the scheme.
The government’s star witness in the “Bridgegate” trial is on the stand Friday.
The George Washington Bridge lanes were allegedly closed to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who refused to endorse Christie. Christie’s office has pointed to a statement he gave in 2014, denying he knew about the plot while it was ongoing.
Wildstein and Christie attended high school together.
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.
Starting as far back as 2011, Christie’s Intergovernmental Affairs office, or IGA, began compiling the list, which took note of sporting events, luncheons and state financial support to mayors and other elected officials, ex-Christie aide Matt Mowers testified in the Newark federal trial.
She also testified she tried to contact Baroni on the first day of the lane closures after fielding a complaint from Fort Lee’s borough administrator, but didn’t receive a response.
Foye’s chief of staff, John Ma, testified he gave an off-the-record interview to a reporter on September 12, 2013, the day before Foye ordered the lanes reopened, during which he told the reporter the Port Authority wasn’t conducting a traffic study at the bridge. He said Christie and his former campaign manager, Bill Stepien, authorized the strategy along with Bridget Anne Kelly, who is on trial.
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Christie has denied that the two had a close relationship, but Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye testified that Wildstein was “protected” by Christie at the Port Authority.
