David Wildstein was a hated man with political backing who Port Authority chief Patrick Foye said he couldn't fire. Then a call was made to a reporter.
NEWARK--The first thing Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye decided after learning of a scheme to cause major traffic jams in Fort Lee was to not reopen the toll lanes at the George Washington Bridge.
Instead, his chief of staff called a reporter, urging him to look into the issue, which later sparked an investigation.
Foye, testifying in federal court Thursday for a second day in the so-called Bridgegate trial, said he distrusted and disliked David Wildstein, who he believed had been the culprit behind the unprecedented lane closures at the bridge.
In fact, he told jurors he initially had taken to calling the scandal "Wildsteingate."
Hated by perhaps "thousands" working at the bi-state agency, Wildstein was described by Foye as "abusive," "an enforcer," and someone who "terrorized people." Some employees believed him to be monitoring their calls after he had a multiple-line attachment installed on the phone in his office, Foye said.
He had few friends--except for one that counted.
"He was protected by Chris Christie, correct?" asked Michael Critchley, the defense attorney for former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly.
Foye paused momentarily. "Yes," he finally responded.
Wildstein, who has already pleaded guilty, is expected to testify himself as a key witness as early as Friday in the criminal case against Kelly and Bill Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority and Wildstein's one-time boss.
Baroni and Kelly were indicted in May 2015 on nine counts of conspiracy and fraud in connection with the September 2013 scheme to shut down local access toll lanes at the bridge. Prosecutors say the plan was intended to deliberately cause massive traffic headaches in Fort Lee, after Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich declined to endorse Gov. Christie for re-election.
Defense attorneys spent most of the morning Thursday questioning Foye about the behavior of Wildstein, and why he was allowed to stay at the Port Authority in the face of mounting complaints about him after he was appointed to a $150,020-a-year position that had no job description.
Foye acknowledged that under the Port Authority's bylaws, he had the power to terminate Wildstein, a former political blogger who served as mayor of Livingston. But the Port Authority executive would only say "it's complicated," when asked why he took no action--even after he said Wildstein had been accused of sexual orientation harassment.
"It's complicated. Practically complicated," he said.
He finally conceded that he believed Wildstein was being protected by Christie, who appointed him to the job.
Christie has repeatedly said he wasn't close to Wildstein and has described him as someone he barely knew.
The two went to high school together, but Christie has said they traveled in different circles and that in later years he saw him infrequently at public events.
Wildstein was Baroni's second in command at the Port Authority, and Christie has said he deferred to Baroni when it came to hiring him.
There was much testimony during the day about the such horse trading and the daily political infighting within the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey--an agency with a budget of early $7 billion and regional rivalries that in some ways play out like a modern-day "Game of Thrones."
It wasn't just that Wildstein couldn't be fired because of his political juice. There was a Port Authority marine terminal in Brooklyn that held the interest of the "New York side," improvements in the PATH system that the Jersey side wanted, and patronage hires on both sides of the river, according to testimony elicted by defense attorneys.
Foye who was appointed by New York governor Andrew Cuomo, represented the New York side of the Port Authority.
"There was a competition for resources," testified John Ma, who serves as Foye's chief of staff and was asked to sit in on a meeting with Baroni when Foye first confronted him over the lane closures.
David Wildstein, expected to be the key prosecution witness in the Bridgegate trial, could testify as soon as Friday. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)When Foye found out about the lane closures in Fort Lee, four days after they were enacted, he said he made no effort to question him.
"He was abusive and untrustworthy. I had no reason to interview him," he told the jury.
The next morning, Foye ordered the lanes reopened.
But that prior evening, his chief of staff--with Foye's full knowledge--reached out to John Cichowski, a columnist for The Record who had called the Port Authority's public affairs office and had been given a statement dictated by Wildstein attributing the situation in Fort Lee to an ongoing study.
"I had deep skepticism there was a study," said Ma. "The reason I made the off-the-record call was to have to reporter ask more questions. I didn't want my name used. It wasn't for attribution. I wanted the reporter to keep digging."
The call was no secret to Foye.
"He was aware I was going to call the reporter," Ma said.
Not long after, a state legislative committee began a series of hearings, ultimately leading a federal investigation and charges against Wildstein, Baroni and Kelly.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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