After three weeks and 16 witnesses, the Bridgegate case against two former allies of Gov. Chris Christie still rests largely on the testimony of key witness David Wildstein. Watch video
NEWARK--After the fireworks of David Wildstein, who testified for eight days about an alleged scheme of political retribution by allies of Gov. Chris Christie, prosecutors in the Bridgegate scandal have gone to their "B" list of witnesses to begin filling in the details.
Jurors have heard about the impact of the lane closures that led to massive traffic gridlock in Fort Lee, discussions of an orchestrated effort to encourage endorsements of the governor, and the political considerations at play as Christie was preparing to run for re-election.
Bill Baroni (l.) with his attorney Michael Baldassare. (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)And there have been moments in the trial when the raw, backstage gamesmanship of New Jersey politics have been put on public display.
Bill Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority, and Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff to the governor are charged with scheming with Wildstein to block local lanes at the George Washington Bridge in 2013 to cause major traffic headaches for Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich after he declined to endorse Gov. Chris Christie.
Wildstein has already pleaded guilty in the case and is awaiting sentencing.
Last week after Wildstein finally stepped down, jurors heard about Port Authority overtime, the punishment meted out to politicians on a "do not call" list, and the mounting pressure put on gubernatorial staffers as a presidential run by Christie went into overdrive.
Chris Stark, a former member of the governor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs or IGA, recounted the searing anger aimed at a Monmouth County Freeholder John Curley, who criticized Christie and the state's response to Superstorm Sandy. Curley left a message with Stark demanding to know "who does that fat [expletive] think he is? He's done nothing but press conferences while we're out here doing the work to preserve the properties."
The jury heard a graphic retelling of Christie's explosive response: "Who the [expletive] do you think you are calling me a fat [expletive]?" he said, threatening to "destroy" Curley. "I'm the [expletive] governor of this state."
Prosecutors also put on other witnesses to drive home to the jury how the IGA office used public resources to encourage mayors and other elected officials to endorse the governor for re-election. Those that did not, were put in the "penalty box."
Bridget Anne Kelly, second right, and her attorneys Michael Critchley, left, and Michael Critchley Jr., right, leave federal court. (Mel Evans | AP Photo)Even what would might appear to be trivial impacts of the lane closures were played out before the jury. On Wednesday, prosecutors had a consultant doing an unrelated traffic study for planned overpass reconstruction work near the George Washington Bridge, testify how his firm was forced to extend that work after the Fort Lee lane closures impacted the study.
David Kahlbaugh, who works for CHA Consulting Inc. in Albany, said the firm incurred additional costs of $3,577.22.
Not a large sum. However, assistant U.S. attorney David Feder elicited testimony that those costs were ultimately picked up by the Port Authority.
Prosecutors called Umang Patel, a traffic engineer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who detailed the work he did on a study of the lane closures, undertaken to support a cover story concocted by Wildstein that the shutdown of two out of three local access lanes coming out of Fort Lee was part of a legitimate traffic study.
Victor Chung, a transportation planner for the bi-state agency, said he was asked to come up with an analysis of the impact of the lane realignments three days before they were ordered into effect. He testified that he told his managers it would be a bad idea. "There would be huge congestion on Fort Lee local roads," he told the jury.
But the government's narrative of what happened in Fort Lee has largely been told by Wildstein, who so far remains the most damaging witness to the defense. In more than a week on the stand, he gave a matter-of-fact recounting of how he took orders from Kelly and Baroni to proceed with the lane closures to punish Sokolich.
A former political blogger and Republican strategist, Wildstein was hired by Baroni to a $150,000-a-year patronage position with a made-up job title as director of interstate capital projects. He said he came up with the toll lane closures after he realized their elimination would force traffic to back up into Fort Lee and serve as a "leverage point" against the mayor.
Wildstein also testified he had told other members of the governor's inner circle about the lane closure scheme.
Assistant U.S. attorneys David Feder, left, Vikas Khanna and Lee M. Cortes Jr., who are prosecuting the Bridgegate case, walk to the courthouse. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) He claimed he told Michael DuHaime, a top political advisor to the governor. He testified that Bill Stepien, the governor's campaign manager and Kelly's former boss, knew what was going on. Wildstein said also he spoke to the governor's spokesman, Michael Drewniak, as the scandal came to light. And he testified that the governor was told about what was happening even while the traffic was choking Fort Lee.
Defense attorneys have hammered him on the multitude of lies he told as a political operative, his vindictiveness to those who crossed him, and his unswerving loyalty to the governor.
They say Kelly was in no position of authority, and that Baroni deferred to Wildstein as the governor's "enforcer."
But Wildstein repeatedly held to his claim that from the beginning, he was only following the direction of Kelly, who he called his link to the governor's office. He maintained that Baroni gave him the green-light to proceed.
Assistant U.S. attorney Lee Cortes, in his final questioning of Wildstein on Wednesday, asked about who he spoke to regarding the lane closures in the days just before the Port Authority police moved the orange traffic cones on Sept. 9, 2013.
"I spoke to Mr. Baroni and Miss Kelly," he said.
"Did you speak to Mr. Stepien about the lane reductions?"
"No, sir," he replied.
Did he speak to Drewniak? DuHaime?
"No."
"To Gov. Christie?"
"No, I did not," said Wildstein.
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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