Prosecutor rests Bridgegate case

NEWARK, N.J. - Federal prosecutors on Thursday showed jurors a video of Bill Baroni, a former top executive at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, telling New Jersey lawmakers in late 2013 that the agency had closed lanes at the George Washington Bridge earlier that year as part of a traffic study - a claim that has been contradicted by nearly four weeks of testimony here.

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Prosecutors allege that Baroni intentionally lied to the Legislature in an effort to cover up the true purpose of the lane closures: causing days of traffic jams to punish a local mayor for his refusal to endorse Gov. Christie's reelection campaign. Prosecutors rested their case Thursday against Baroni and another former Christie ally.

Attorneys for Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, then grilled Charles McKenna, Christie's former chief counsel, about why he did not investigate the lane closures when he learned about them.

Baroni and Kelly are charged with misusing the resources of the Port Authority, wire fraud, civil rights violations, and related conspiracy counts.

For nearly two hours Thursday, the 16th day of testimony, jurors watched a video of Baroni sparring with members of the Assembly Transportation Committee in November 2013 as he argued that the normal lane alignment on the bridge's upper toll plaza was unfair to most commuters.

In the clip, Baroni tells lawmakers that David Wildstein, then a high-level executive at the Port Authority who has pleaded guilty in the case, ordered a one-week traffic study at the bridge.

The goal, Baroni says, was to examine whether it was "fair" that three of the 12 lanes on the upper toll plaza of the bridge were dedicated to residents of one town, Fort Lee, while all other commuters were limited to nine lanes.

Wildstein has testified that the three lanes were not limited to Fort Lee residents and that Baroni knew that.

Trial testimony has suggested many of Baroni's statements before the committee were false. A key question for jurors is whether Baroni knew that and lied to cover up the scheme to misuse Port Authority resources for the purpose of punishing Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.

Wildstein testified that he ordered the lanes closed at Kelly's direction and with Baroni's blessing.

Baroni is expected to take the stand next week. His attorney says Wildstein manipulated Baroni into thinking the lane closures were part of a legitimate traffic study.

After the video of Baroni's testimony ended, the government rested.

The defense then called McKenna, former chief counsel to Christie who is now chief executive of the state Schools Development Authority, as its first witness. McKenna fired Wildstein and Baroni in December.

McKenna testified that in a meeting with Wildstein on Dec. 6, Wildstein took responsibility for the lane closures.

aseidman@phillynews.com

856-779-3846@AndrewSeidman