Former Christie Ally Expected to Plea in Bridgegate Controversy
In this Jan. 9, 2014 file photo, David Wildstein, who was Christie’s No. 2 man at the Port Authority, speaks during a hearing at the Statehouse in Trenton. The Christie administration stands accused of closing lanes on the George Washington Bridge, linking New York and New Jersey, in order to create a huge traffic backup as retribution against a local mayor for not endorsing the governor’s reelection. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)
David Wildstein, a former ally of N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, is expected to plead to charges related to the “Bridgegate” scandal, according to reports.
Wildstein is scheduled to appear as early as Friday in federal court in Newark, where grand jurors heard testimony in secret for months about gridlock over four mornings in Fort Lee, New Jersey, according to the person, who requested anonymity because the matter isn’t public. The plea was originally scheduled for Thursday, the person said. The specific charges were unclear.
Christie denies knowledge of a plot to close two of the three local-access lanes to the world’s busiest bridge, which is run by the Port Authority. If Wildstein pleads guilty and cooperates with prosecutors, he could give them an inside view of how the plot unfolded.
The George Washington Bridge closure took place in September 2013, ostensibly for a traffic study, but apparently as retaliation against the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for failing to endorse Christie’s gubernatorial re-election campaign.
