USA TODAY International Edition
Prosecutors: Christie aware of bridge ploy
Officials allegedly informed him lanes closed to rile mayor
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal while it was taking place, according to federal prosecutors making their opening statements Monday morning in the trial of two former allies of the governor accused of creating gridlock in Fort Lee to punish the town’s mayor for not endorsing Christie’s 2013 re- election.
The governor, who had denied any knowledge of the scandal until months later, was told about the lane closures at a Sept. 11 memorial service at the World Trade Center in 2013, three days into the closures, U. S. Attorney Vikas Khanna told jurors.
After a town- hallstyle event in Whippany, N. J., where Christie was pushing his plan to overhaul education funding, the governor refused to answer questions about the statement made by prosecutors.
Khanna said that Christie was told by Bill Baroni and David Wildstein, two former officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns and operates the bridge.
“The evidence will show that Baroni and Wildstein were so committed to their plan to punish ( Fort Lee) Mayor ( Mark) Sokolich during those few minutes they had alone with the governor they bragged about the fact there were traffic problems in Fort Lee and Mayor Sokolich was not getting his calls returned,” Khanna said.
Bridget Anne Kelly, 44, is Christie’s former deputy chief of staff and Baroni, 44, is the governor’s former top executive appointee at the Port Authority.
The pair are charged with misusing federally funded property, wire fraud and depriving residents of their civil rights to travel freely in the town.
They face the possibility of years in jail and fines totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Baroni’s defense lawyer painted Wildstein as a “bully” and a “liar” who acted as Christie’s “ventriloquist’s doll.”
In his opening statement, Michael Baldassare said that Wildstein had spent his entire political career intimidating people and spinning lies.
Baldassare said that was why Christie installed Wildstein as his political “fixer” at the Port Authority.
He added that Christie used to jokingly refer to Wildstein as his “Mr. Wolf,” a character in the movie Pulp Fiction who “cleans up the bodies.” Wildstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in relation to the lane closures last year and is cooperating with federal prosecutors. “The government made a deal with the devil and they’re stuck with him,” Baldassare said.
Baldassare said that Baroni will testify at the trial.