PA big: I plotted with Chris campaign boss & aide

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE says he was in the dark — but three highranking Port Authority officials with ties to him, his close aide and his campaign manager all knew about the Bridgegate affair before the gridlock began.

Testimony on Monday added new names to the growing list of Christie confidants aware of the alleged plot to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for refusing to endorse Christie’s reelection in 2013.

David Wildstein, testifying for the second day in Newark Federal Court, took the jury through his steps that culminated with the four days of traffic hell in Fort Lee in September 2013. Wildstein, a former PA official, has pleaded guilty and is testifying against his former boss Bill Baroni and former Christie aide Bridget Kelly.

Wildstein recalled briefing Bill Stepien, who was at the time running Christie’s reelection campaign, after he received an email from Kelly saying, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

“Mr. Stepien asked about what story we were going to use. I explained to Mr. Stepien that I was going to create cover of a traffic study,” Wildstein testified.

Wildstein said he also sat down with Pat Schuber, a PA commissioner appointed to the job in part due to his knowledge of traffic challenges facing Bergen County. “I viewed Mr. Schuber as a loyal member of Gov. Christie’s team,” Wildstein said.

“I told Commissioner Schuber there’s going to be some significant traffic in Fort Lee . . . . That this came from the governor’s office and was aimed at Sokolich.”

Stepien, who now works for the Donald Trump presidential campaign, has not been charged in connection with the lane closures and has denied having any knowledge of them.

Schuber’s lawyer, Salvatore Alfano, said, “We categorically deny” that his client was aware of the scheme.

Wildstein said Kelly and Baroni gave him their approvals frequently as he determined that the three lanes from Fort Lee to the bridge could be reduced to one but not zero, due to concerns a complete shutdown would cause car crashes.

“I told Ms. Kelly there would still be a substantial amount of traffic,” Wildstein said. “Ms. Kelly approved that.” Baroni and Wildstein also debated when to initiate the gridlock to “maximize the impact on Fort Lee,” Wildstein said.

Baroni suggested the first day of school. When Wildstein told him that day came on Sept. 9, Baroni “smiled and said, ‘fantastic,’ ” Wildstein recalled.