2 Christie allies get prison terms in bridge scandal
NEWARK, N.J. — Two former allies of Gov. Chris Christie were sentenced to prison Wednesday for their role in closing access lanes to the George Washington Bridge as political payback against a New Jersey mayor, a key chapter in the plot that derailed Christie’s presidential aspirations and then dimmed his chances to become President Donald Trump’s pick for vice president.
Bridget Kelly, 44, who was a top aide to Christie, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, while Bill Baroni, 45, who served as deputy executive director at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was sentenced to two years in prison.
The scandal, which became known as Bridgegate, was as brazen as it was bizarre. In an effort to punish Mayor Mark J. Sokolich of Fort Lee, a Democrat, for not supporting Christie’s re-election bid, members of the governor’s administration schemed with Port Authority officials to trigger a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee. Infamous email
Over five days in September 2013, the gridlock ensnared emergency vehicles, school buses and commuters, even as Baroni ignored Sokolich’s messages seeking an explanation.
The plan was put into motion by Kelly’s now infamous email to David Wildstein, Baroni’s top deputy at the Port Authority, who pleaded guilty for his role in the scandal in 2015: “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”
The seven-week trial last fall of Baroni and Kelly revealed Christie’s aggressive political operation, which seemed as focused on carving a path to the White House as it was on the needs of New Jersey.
While Christie was never charged in the scandal, Judge Susan D. Wigenton alluded Wednesday to the political culture his administration created as she handed down her sentences against Baroni and Kelly at the federal courthouse in Newark, calling it a toxic “with us or against us” mentality detrimental to New Jersey residents.
“What occurred in September of 2013 was an outrageous abuse of power,” Wigenton said. Presidential hopes fade
From the moment Kelly’s email became public, Christie’s then soaring political ambitions were dealt a blow from which he would never recover. From the daily news reports to the assembly hearings and investigations to the trial of Baroni and Kelly, the Bridgegate scandal became almost synonymous with Christie, putting a cloud over his 2016 GOP presidential bid.
As he attached himself and his political career to Trump, it was again the scandal that deadened his aspirations, this time as a potential running mate; the governor himself allowed that Bridgegate was “a factor” in Trump overlooking him for the ticket.
And while Trump never gave a specific reason, Christie’s role as transition chief for the newly elected Trump administration was terminated a week after the convictions for Baroni and Kelly were handed down.
Federal prosecutors, in arguing for jail sentences, said that Kelly and Baroni, who was Christie’s top staff appointment at the Port Authority, had abused their positions for personal gain.