Christie, though not charged, damaged by Bridgegate
Friday's federal conviction of two former Gov. Christie aides in the George Washington Bridge lane closure conspiracy left some politicians and experts wondering how Christie will move on from the case, which has dominated much of his second term in office.
Friday's federal conviction of two former Gov. Christie aides in the George Washington Bridge lane closure conspiracy left some politicians and experts wondering how Christie will move on from the case, which has dominated much of his second term in office.
Christie was not charged and has denied any involvement in the scheme orchestrated by former deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, Christie's former top executive appointee at the Port Authority. They were charged with conspiring with former agency official David Wildstein to retaliate against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for his refusal to endorse Christie's reelection campaign in 2013.
The six-week trial included testimony from multiple people who said Christie knew of the plan to close lanes, allegations that Ben Dworkin, professor of political science and director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said would have lasting repercussions on Christie's political career.
"It will be as much a defining factor in his legacy as any of his legislative accomplishments," Dworkin said. "The Bridgegate case has done tremendous damage to him."
State Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R., Union), who has defended Christie, said that there was no evidence that Christie was responsible for the closures and that much of the focus on the governor's alleged involvement could be blamed on partisan politics.
The case has overshadowed Christie's accomplishments in his first term, such as property tax reform, he said. With the trial over, he said, he hoped state legislators could resume work on other Christie proposals.
"If this is the end of Bridgegate, let's get back to the table and get back to work," he said. "My concern at this point is for the people of New Jersey."
Kelly and Baroni, both 44, were convicted of obtaining by fraud and intentionally misusing Port Authority resources, wire fraud, civil rights violations, and related conspiracy counts.
Democratic State Sen. Loretta Weinberg of Bergen County, part of a 2013 legislative effort to investigate the lane closings, said she still had questions about the circumstances surrounding the case, such as a list of unindicted coconspirators that prosecutors have not released.
"If these people are still serving in public service, doesn't the public have a right to know who they are?" she said.
Weinberg said it was a "sad day" for Kelly and Baroni, as well as for the people of New Jersey. She also dismissed the statement Christie released after the verdicts, in which he again denied knowledge of the closures and said he would "set the record straight in coming days regarding lies that were told by the media and in the courtroom."
Several New Jersey Democrats echoed Weinberg's concerns. In a statement, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D., Hudson/Bergen) said he would meet with fellow lawmakers to discuss possible legislative action. "The testimony and evidence presented during this trial raised serious questions about the behavior of the executive branch under this administration," he said. "New Jersey requires an executive branch focused on policy, not bullying and crass politics."
Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (D., Middlesex), who cochaired the investigatory committee examining the lane closures, called for a new review of Christie's actions following the verdict.
"It is time to find out what the governor knew, when he knew it, and what actions he took," he said. "During the trial, numerous witnesses offered testimony under oath that directly contradicts Gov. Christie's public statements. . . . The citizens of New Jersey deserve the whole truth in this matter."
Dworkin, however, noted that if prosecutors had uncovered sufficient evidence to charge Christie, they would have. Thus, Christie can move on and consider himself cleared of wrongdoing. But the timing of the scandal - emerging just after Christie had won reelection with a wide bipartisan margin and as he was championed as the future of the Republican Party - forced him to retreat from the public eye when he should have been at his most powerful.
"He can say he wasn't involved and he can argue that the moment he heard about this, he fired the people who were responsible," Dworkin said. "But the decline of Christie as a political figure began with Bridgegate."
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