Inquirer Editorial: 'Bridgegate' verdict begs question: Why wasn't Christie tried too?

A federal jury's verdict today confirms that Gov. Christie's aides concocted a fake traffic study to punish Fort Lee's Democratic mayor for not endorsing the Republican governor's reelection. It didn't matter that emergency vehicles had trouble getting to the George Washington Bridge or that commuters missed appointments and children were late for school.

Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, Christie's top appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, were found guilty of several charges, including conspiracy and misusing government resources. Christie wasn't in the courtroom, but his administration was on trial. And many are asking, why wasn't he?

The aides were accused of creating a traffic jam at the bridge in September 2013. Their trial has taught the rest of the country a lot about Christie's dystopia. It is a land where the governor can throw a water bottle at an aide and his press secretary can say he wants to beat a journalist with a lead pipe. That fits for a governor who, surrounded by towering body guards, threatens a man on a boardwalk; vilifies teachers; and shouts down people who complain that their homes haven't been repaired four years after Hurricane Sandy.

Christie's world is where a sheepish Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno disagrees publicly with Christie only to have the governor's office shoot back with a derogatory statement, as it did last month. What was the matter? Didn't Christie have a water bottle to throw at her?

The trial also revealed Christie's disgusting lack of respect for 9/11 victims. He rewarded supporters with bits of steel from the felled Twin Towers, which served as a tomb for hundreds of victims of terrorism. And it was at a 9/11 memorial service that Christie's minions bragged to him about the bridge stunt.

Christie's inner circle acted worse than the TV mobsters on The Sopranos. Testimony suggested that the leader of the thug wannabes bred an environment of fear and intimidation. He bullied enemies, leaned on subordinates, and treated himself like a king, even taking a state helicopter on the public's dime to get to his child's baseball game. Christie used public funds to pay for a security detail and other expenses to boost his name recognition so he could run for president, an ambition that Republican primary voters thankfully rejected.

Now, Christie is playing toady to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump because he has nowhere else to go.

One thing that both the prosecution and defense agreed on in the trial was that Christie lied about his role in the sadistic "Bridgegate" prank. An even worse lie by Christie, though, was his telling New Jersey voters that he could fix the state's sagging economy and leaking budget. Christie has instead made matters worse.

Bridgegate defendants Kelly and Baroni will be punished. But New Jersey has been sentenced to endure Christie until his term expires in January 2018.