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Bridge-gate Trial Starts, Opens Pandora's Box for Chris Christie
(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
By Karl Nelson | Thursday, 08 September 2016 06:16 AM
The Bridge-gate trial is starting and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will have his hands full as former top aides face federal charges of deliberately creating traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge out of political retribution.
Christie's former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly, and his top executive appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Bill Baroni, are facing accusations of "conspiring to close two of three access lanes from Fort Lee to the world's busiest bridge over five mornings in September 2013," The Record reported.
Christie, who denied involvement and hasn't been charged in the affair, had been putting all his efforts towards the Republican presidential nomination, then a vice presidential spot after endorsing Donald Trump, but he was dogged all along by the scandal, according to The New York Times.
The trial is set to open on Thursday and many believe it's a "tell-all tale" waiting to happen – one that highlights Christie's "administration and his 2013 re-election campaign with an eye to winning the White House."
Christie extended apologies for Bridge-gate back in 2014, saying he took no part in the lane closings.
In an effort at damage control, Christie fired Kelly and apologized continuously at a nearly two-hour long news conference. Christie described himself as being "humiliated" about the entire situation.
"I am a very sad person today," he said. "I am heartbroken that someone I permitted to be in a circle of trust for the past five years betrayed that trust."
The Times said the "traffic jam" was created as "political payback".
According to NorthJersey.com, this is the "highest-profile" trial in the state of New Jersey in years and it's going to be far from a cakewalk for the defendants. In fact, of the 203 men and women who have appeared on federal charges in New Jersey over the course of the last six years, only 13 have been acquitted.
The upcoming trial has created quite the buzz on Twitter:
Bridgegate trial opens this week, w/ Trump's field director as (I'm told) an unindicted coconspirator in the criminal political revenge plot
— Harry Siegel (@harrysiegel) September 7, 2016
This just might be the biggest show of the fall: All Eyes Are on #ChrisChristie as #Bridgegate Trial Starts https://t.co/qpD7nPIMI3
— Jon Maas (@jondmaas) September 7, 2016
"Are you going to ask me about that everyday?" Christie responds when asked if he was called to testify at upcoming Bridgegate trial.
— Matt Arco (@MatthewArco) September 6, 2016
@realDonaldTrump I'm waiting to see the results of the Bridgegate trial. Your right hand man's hand picked inner circle may go to jail.
— Samuel B. Roberts (@maravillage44) August 28, 2016
With #bridgegate trial starting soon, seems Christie found Stepien a job hoping In exchange he won't squeal at trial https://t.co/XpzD0cuQU9
— ?BuonNatale2u (@BuonNatale2u) August 28, 2016
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TheWire
bridgegate, trial, chris christie
Thursday, 08 September 2016 06:16 AM
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