Director says he believed the government's star witness was protected by Christie.
NEWARK -- Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority, distrusted and disliked David Wildstein, who he said Thursday was hated by "hundreds," or perhaps "thousands," of their fellow employees.
On the stand in federal court for the second day, Foye testified that he thought Wildstein was the "culprit" behind the George Washington Bridge lane closures and believed he was tapping phone lines at the Port Authority.
But when it came to firing the former Port Authority executive who pleaded guilty to his role in the Bridgegate scandal, Foye claimed he came up against a major obstacle: Gov. Chris Christie.
"He was protected by Chris Christie, correct?" Michael Critchley, the defense attorney for former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, asked.
Foye paused momentarily. "Yes," he finally responded.
"He was abusive to employees, he terrorized people," Foye said of Wildstein later during testimony.
Gridlock, politics and 2 outright lies
Wildstein, who pleaded guilty to federal crimes, is expected to testify as a key witness for the prosecution in the criminal case against Kelly and Bill Baroni, Wildstein's boss and the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority.
Baroni, a Christie appointee, and Kelly were indicted in May 2015 on nine counts of conspiracy and fraud in connection with the deliberate shutdown of local toll lanes at the bridge in September 2013.
Prosecutors charge the scheme was aimed at causing massive traffic jams in Fort Lee in an act of political retribution targeting Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich over his decision not to endorse Christie for re-election.
Defense attorneys spent most of the morning questioning Foye about the behavior of Wildstein, and why he was allowed to stay at the Port Authority despite the complaints about him.
"It's complicated," Foye allowed.
In aftermath of the Bridgegate fallout, Christie said he wasn't close to Wildstein and described him as someone he barely knew. Wildstein was Baroni's second in command, and Christie deferred to Baroni when it came to hiring him, the governor said.
During high school, they ran with separate groups of friends, Christie has said.
In later years, Christie said he only interacted with Wildstein during rare moments, like on the off chance he accompanied Baroni to a meeting with the governor.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL.