The former Christie deputy chief of staff will be able to tell her side of the story for the first time in almost three years.
NEWARK -- A former top Gov. Chris Christie aide who gained national notoriety when her "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" email was revealed in 2014 may finally be able to tell her side of the story.
Bridget Anne Kelly, the governor's former deputy chief of staff, could take the stand on Thursday. It will be the first time in three years Kelly will be able to speak at length about the Bridgegate scandal.
Christie fired Kelly in January 2014 after her email to former Port Authority executive David Wildstein surfaced. She's charged along with Wildstein's former boss, Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni, with nine federal counts in connection with the politically motivated lane closures.
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Wildstein pleaded guilty to federal crimes related to the scheme last year and has been the prosecution's star witness. He has testified the lane closures were designed to punish the Fort Lee mayor, a Democrat, because he refused to endorse the governor for re-election.
But before Kelly has a chance to tell her side, jurors are expected to hear from Mike DuHaime, Christie's long-time chief political adviser.
DuHaime played a lead role in Christie's two gubernatorial bids and his failed 2016 presidential campaign. He's expected to testify Thursday morning.
Earlier in the trial, Wildstein testified he met with DuHaime on Veteran's Day in 2013, just two months after the lane closures. At that point, questions about the motive surrounding the lane closures were continuing to mount.
"I told Mr. DuHaime that others in the governor's office were involved ... (and that) I felt this story was going to go in a very bad direction," Wildstein testified. "I told him that this was political ... retaliation."
DuHaime expressed dissatisfaction with the plot, calling it a "very bad idea," and said he would have told Wildstein not to go through with it, the witness testified.
When Wildstein told him he and Baroni had also informed Christie about the plot at a Sept. 11 memorial event while the clsoures were still in effect, DuHaime responded the governor must have thought they were joking, he testified.
Christie has maintained he didn't learn about the scheme's nefarious motives until January 2014. However, defense attorneys have suggested through their questioning that the governor knew more than he has admitted to in public.
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. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter.