Questions raised anew on Christie after aides convicted in traffic jams

NEWARK, N.J. — Two former aides to Gov. Chris Christie were convicted Friday of causing epic traffic jams for political revenge near the nation’s busiest bridge, a verdict that further damaged the Republican governor’s legacy and raised anew questions about why Christie and his inner circle escaped prosecution.

Bridget Kelly, Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, Christie’s appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, were found guilty of all counts against them. Kelly cried as the verdict was read; Baroni showed no emotion. Both defendants announced plans to appeal.

Testimony during the seven-week trial contradicted Christie’s statements about when he knew about the four days of gridlock in the town of Fort Lee in September 2013. The traffic jams were retaliation against Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie’s re-election, prosecutors alleged.

Other testimony described some of Christie’s top advisers and confidants either knowing about the plan ahead of time or soon afterward and being aware of the purported political motivation, well before Christie told reporters in December 2013 that none of his staff was involved.

Baroni and Kelly were indicted last year. Also charged was former Port Authority official David Wildstein, who pleaded guilty and testified against them.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman declined to say whether any of the testimony could lead to charges against Christie or others. He said prosecutors charged people only when they had “evidence beyond a reasonable doubt” to convict.

“Anybody can reach whatever conclusions they want about the strength of the evidence and about whether the evidence of anyone else’s involvement was in the hands of the government or came from the defense,” he said.

Christie said Friday that the verdict affirmed his decision to terminate Baroni and Kelly. He repeated his assertions that he had no knowledge of the plot and said he would “set the record straight” soon about “the lies told by the media

Julio Cortez / Associated Press Bridget Kelly, who cried when she was found guilty on Friday, was still emotional as she and her lawyer addressed media outside the court in Newark, N.J.