Bridge agency head says Christie aide ‘protected’

NEWARK, N.J. — A former official who has pleaded guilty in the George Washington Bridge laneclosing case was “protected” by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, according to an executive of the agency that controls the bridge.

Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, testified that the Christie link was a partial reason why he didn’t interview David Wildstein during an internal review of the 2013 traffic jams.

Thursday was Foye’s second day on the stand in the case against Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly, and former Port Authority executive Bill Baroni. They are charged with closing access lanes to the bridge to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing Christie.

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.

Wildstein was a high school classmate of Christie’s. Wildstein was handedthe job as director of interstate capital projects, Baroni’s attorney said in court thisweek.

Prosecutors saidMonday that Wildstein bragged to Christie about the laneclosures on the third of their four days, something Christie has denied.

Foye’s chief of staff, John Ma, testified that he gave an off-the-record interview to a reporter on Sept. 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.

Ma said Foye knew was making the call. he