New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said a jury’s recent decision finding two associates guilty for their involvement in the “Bridgegate” scheme shows those several people were the ones responsible for the September 2013 traffic closures.
“My first reaction was that the jury confirmed what I thought on January 9, 2014 — nearly three years ago,” Mr. Christie said in an interview that aired Monday on “CBS This Morning.” “I had 24 hours to make decisions back then, and I thought there were three people responsible: David Wildstein, Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly.”
“And now here we are, three investigations later, federal grand jury investigation, investigation by a Democratic-led legislature, and what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is that there were three people responsible,” he said.
A federal jury on Friday convicted Ms. Kelly, Mr. Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, and Mr. Baroni, the governor’s appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, of creating the infamous traffic jam in what prosecutors called an act of political revenge for failing to endorse Mr. Christie for re-election in 2013.
Mr. Wildstein, a former Christie ally, has already pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme.
Mr. Christie said he couldn’t figure out why the whole thing happened.
“It was one of the most abjectly stupid things I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“I mean, think about it: You know me. I’m pretty good at this political game,” he said. “I’m up by 25 points in a re-election in a blue state, and they decide they’re going to create a traffic jam in a town that’s a Democrat town that I wound up winning two months later in the election?”
“In the whole trial, no one — not even Bridget Kelly, Bill Baroni or David Wildstein — ever testified that anyone ever said to me that this was an act of political retribution,” he said.
The Democratic National Committee has called on Mr. Christie to step down as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s transition chairman in light of the Friday verdict.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told my political career was over. Here I am,” Mr. Christie said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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