Bridgegate: Where are they now, and why aren’t they in jail?
I’m still steamed David Wildstein got zero jail time for his role in Bridgegate, while Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly got 24 and 18 months, respectively. Without Wildstein, there is no Bridgegate. He conceived and executed the plan. For him to walk with probation is a joke. If Baroni and Kelly go to jail, so should Wildstein.
It’s like the Manson Family murders (really). Charles Manson didn’t actually kill anyone, he just set the plan in motion. But do you think Manson should be free on probation in Florida? (OK fine, yes, of course, just stop it, I realize ritualized murder and closing lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge are different, but still, the comparison holds.)
What’s even more aggravating is the career arc of the rest of the Bridgegate names. If you were tangentially (or directly) attached to Bridgegate and your name isn’t Baroni or Kelly, you’ve done just fine.
Take a look (an incomplete list)
Kevin O’Dowd: Was chief of staff for Christie during Bridgegate; according to testimony by Kelly, he knew of the lane closures by December of 2013. He now works as senior vice president and chief administrative officer at Cooper University Health.
Charlie McKenna: Former Christie chief counsel; according to Wildstein testimony, knew of the lane closures around the same time as McKenna. He is now Executive Director of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.
Phil Kwon: Was deputy counsel at Port Authority; helped prepare Baroni (according to Wildstein testimony) for his November 2013 testimony in which Baroni claimed it was just a traffic study.
Regina Egea: Former head of the Authorities Unit of the Port Authority; also helped prepare Baroni for his testimony according to Wildstein; promoted to Christie’s Chief of Staff in late 2013, since resigned. Also texted back and forth with Christie during the testimony, texts since deleted.
Nicole Crifo: Worked under Egea, also took part in prepping Baroni according to the testimony; now senior advisor to the chairman of the Port Authority.
Mike Drewniak: Former Christie spokesman; knew of lane closures by Dec. 2013, testified to such, also testified Wildstein told him Christie knew of closures. He’s now at New Jersey Transit in charge of “chief policy and strategic planning.”
Bill Stepien: Former Christie campaign manager and deputy chief of staff; Wildstein testified he told Stepien of the plan well before implementation; now serves as political director for President Donald Trump.
And then there’s the big two ... Chris Christie: He knew of the lane closures at various points in time, according to Wildstein testimony, and Kelly testimony, and Baroni testimony, and Mike DuHaime’s testimony, and Drewniak’s testimony. Also set to cash in big post-governorship.
David Wildstein: Without him, there’s no Bridgegate, period. Also doing no jail time.
As for Kelly? She was the former deputy chief of staff for Christie, claims Christie knew of traffic study days before it began; also claims she thought it was just that, a traffic study, currently unemployed and appealing her sentence.
And lastly, our man from Hamilton, Bill Baroni: Former deputy executive director of the Port Authority who testified he believed it was just a typical traffic study at the outset before getting caught up in the gears, also unemployed, also appealing his sentence.
To be clear: I am not claiming innocence (nor guilt) for Kelly and Baroni. All I’m saying is it seems preposterous for them to be convicted and go to jail for having knowledge of Wildstein’s misdeeds while Wildstein himself avoids prison and all the other people either tangentially or directly involved with the ensuing cover-up go on their merry way and continue to climb the political and corporate ladders.
Here’s hoping this is the last column I ever write on the subject, at least until the sentences handed down to Baroni and Kelly are thrown out at appeal. And what that happens — and I bet it will — the entirety of the Bridgegate saga would have cost untold millions to prosecute and no one will see the inside of a prison cell.
Ah, New Jersey.
Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian. He can be reached at jedelstein@ trentonian.com, facebook. com/jeffreyedelstein and @ jeffedelstein on Twitter.