NEWARK, N.J. (CN) — The man who took responsibility for orchestrating a massive New Jersey traffic jam three years ago testified Wednesday that he was assured Gov. Chris Christie's favor for doing so.
You are "still on the governor's team," David Wildstein said he heard from several officials in Christie's office in early December 2010.
By that time, the cover-up story for the September traffic jam Wildstein engineered had already begun to unravel, and Wildstein received his marching orders from the agency that oversees New York-area bridges and tunnels.
When Wildstein pleaded guilty last year to fraud and conspiracy, he admitted that he orchestrated the closure of lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge to make trouble for a Democratic mayor in Fort Lee who was not supporting the Republican Christie's re-election.
One of the busiest bridges in the world, the George Washington Bridge connects the Garden State to New York City. Christie had installed Wildstein at the public agency that runs the bridge, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and is even alleged to have created Wildstein's title.
Wildstein has spent four days so far on the stand to support the government's case against two accused co-conspirators: Christie's former chief of staff, Bridget Ann Kelly, and former Port Authority Executive Director, William Baroni Jr.
Christie himself has not been charged, but the scandal torpedoed the Republican's presidential campaign. Christie maintains that he had no knowledge of the plot — learning about the scandal only after the lanes had reopened — but Wildstein has been contradicting that story on the stand.
The jury saw pictures Tuesday of Christie, Baroni and Wildstein at a 9/11 memorial event, which had been Day 3 of the lane shutdown.
Wildstein says he told Christie about his machinations that day, and that the governor appeared pleased.
He told the jury today that "Christie was happy" come December when Wildstein was taking responsibility for the lane closures.
Though Wildstein officially resigned from the Port Authority on Dec. 6, he testified that no one saw this as the end.
Christie's campaign manager at the time, Bill Stepien, and other Christie aides told Wildstein, according to the witness's testimony, that he was still expected to play some role in advancing Christie's future.
Stepien, whom Christie wound up firing for "poor judgment," faced some damning testimony by Wildstein earlier this week as well.
Though the former aide has maintained his innocence, he took heat in the early days of the controversy for having called Sokolich an "idiot."
Baroni's attorney had predicted early on that Wildstein would be "trading scalps" to reduce his possible sentence, but Wildstein told the court Wednesday that he was ready to be the fall guy.
"I'll take this, this is on me," Wildstein said he told Kelly on Dec. 6 when announcing his departure.
He said Kelly was emotional about it, and told him she said she was sorry.
Wildstein described Baroni meanwhile as nervous about his own imminent firing.
On Dec. 11, the men met at a Hyatt Regency hotel in New Jersey, where "discussed getting our stories straight," Wildstein said.
When Port Authority finally did force out Baroni, on Dec. 13, Wildstein said his former boss was very upset and very emotional.