Key Bridgegate Witness Thought He Was Still On Christie's Team
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A self-described conspirator in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case testified Wednesday that he expected to stay in Republican Gov. Chris Christie's "political future'' even after he resigned in the wake of revelations that the resulting traffic jam might have been politically motivated.
As CBS2's Meg Baker reported, prosecutors wrapped up with their lead witness -- former Port Authority official David Wildstein, who stomped out of federal court in Newark on Wednesday.
On direct questioning by the government, Wildstein told jurors he was told by Christie senior staffers to resign in December 2013, three months after the September lane realignment at the bridge plunged the town of Fort Lee into four days of gridlock. The plan was to punish Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie's re-election, Wildstein testified earlier.
Wildstein said Wednesday that he thought he would take some time off and then play a different role for the governor after he resigned as executive at the Port Authority.
"I had been told by others I was still on the governor's team,'' he said. "I was told the governor was happy I'd stepped up and taken responsibility.''
Wildstein said that assessment came from Christie campaign manager Bill Stepien and political adviser Michael DuHaime.
Wildstein began cooperating with the government in early 2014 and pleaded guilty last year. He is testifying against Bill Baroni, Christie's top appointee to the authority that runs the bridge, and Christie's former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly.
In court, the state played footage of Baroni's past testimony in front of the New Jersey legislature where he recited a fake cover story using bogus statistics about a traffic study involving lanes leading from Fort Lee onto the bridge, prepped by Wildstein.
Baroni argued that the 'special lanes' aren't fair.
"So Fort Lee local traffic enters the special entrance to the bridge here," he said, "That arrangement enables Fort Lee residents to skip the general traffic backup at the George Washington Bridge."
In reality the lanes carry traffic cutting to the bridge from all over North Jersey, which backs up into and freezes Fort Lee.
Both defendants say Wildstein conceived and carried out the scheme in September 2013.
Wildstein testified Tuesday that Christie was told about the traffic jam while it was underway. He said he was present when Christie was told about the traffic in Fort Lee on the third day of the gridlock during a Sept. 11 memorial event in New York.
Wildstein said Baroni told Christie there was "a tremendous amount of traffic in Fort Lee'' that morning and that Sokolich was "very frustrated'' he wasn't getting his phone calls returned.
Baroni then told the governor that Wildstein was watching over the situation, Wildstein testified.
"Well, I'm sure Mr. Edge would never be involved in anything political,'' Christie responded sarcastically, and then laughed, according to Wildstein. "Wally Edge'' was a pseudonym Wildstein used while running a New Jersey politics website.
Prosecutors showed the jury several photographs of Baroni, Wildstein and Christie talking that day.
Federal prosecutor Lee Cortes asked Wildstein if he and Baroni were bragging about the traffic jams.
"Yes, very much so. This was our one constituent,'' Wildstein replied, referring to Christie. "I was pleasing my one constituent. I was happy that he was happy.''
Wildstein's account was the first testimony to suggest Christie knew about the scheme as it was unfolding. Christie has repeatedly denied that and has not been charged with a crime.
"I knew nothing about the lane realignments before they happened, I knew nothing about the lane realignments as they were happening," Christie said on the radio show "Ask the Governor" on Tuesday. "I had nothing to do with the planning of it, I had nothing to do with the authorizing of it."
Christie's name is on a list of potential witnesses at the trial.
On Wednesday, afternoon the defense began cross examination with a photo of Wildstein, and his wife with Christie and his wife in front of a Christmas tree.
Baroni's defense attorney painted a picture that Wildstein was an 'enforcer' who called the shots and told Baroni what to do; presenting emails from Fort Lee's Democratic mayor to Baroni that were forwarded to Wildstein who responded "ice him out."
When asked how long the defense will question Wildstein, attorney Michael Critchley said, "as long as it takes to get to the truth."
The defense also presented evidence from the FBI's interview with Wildstein where he is quoted as saying, "I don't think much goes on at the Port Authority without the governor knowing."
The closing of two of three access lanes to the George Washington Bridge caused bumper-to-bumper traffic in Fort Lee, held up school buses and emergency vehicles, and left drivers fuming for hours.
For months afterward, Port Authority officials insisted the lane closings were part of a traffic study. But the scandal broke wide open with the release of emails and text messages, including one from Kelly to Wildstein in which she said: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.''
At the time of the traffic jams, Christie was running for re-election, and his campaign was trying to secure endorsements from local Democratic officials like Sokolich in order to win a big landslide victory and demonstrate the governor's broad appeal as a potential candidate for president.
Last week, Wildstein testified Christie's office used the rich and powerful Port Authority to reward local officials whose endorsements were sought during the 2013 re-election campaign.
Jurors Wednesday also saw video of Baroni testifying before a New Jersey legislative committee in 2013. Prosecutors contend Baroni lied when he told the committee the traffic jams were caused by a traffic study.
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