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Ex-Ally of Christie Links Cuomo to Cover-Up of Lane Closings Ex-Ally of Christie Links Cuomo to Cover-Up of Lane Closings
(about 3 hours later)
NEWARK — Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York agreed to falsely explain the mysterious lane closings at the George Washington Bridge in 2013 as a traffic study to try to “put an end” to the growing scandal, the admitted culprit behind the scheme testified in federal court here on Tuesday. NEWARK — The man who has admitted being the culprit behind the mysterious lane closings at the George Washington Bridge in 2013 testified on Tuesday that he was told that Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York had agreed to falsely explain the closings as part of a traffic study to try to “put an end” to a growing scandal surrounding them.
At Mr. Christie’s request, he testified, Mr. Cuomo told the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, to “stand down” in trying to publicly blame Mr. Christie and his aides for the lane closings, at least until Mr. Christie had won re-election in November 2013. The confessed culprit, David Wildstein, testified that he heard from two top Christie appointees at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, that the governors hoped to stop the catastrophic traffic jams that resulted from the lane closings from hurting Mr. Christie’s re-election campaign.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo issued a stern statement denying that the governor and Mr. Christie discussed a false story and denouncing Mr. Wildstein’s motivation. Mr. Wildstein, who is cooperating with federal prosecutors in the trial of two former Christie aides accused of approving and directing the lane-closing scheme, agreed that Mr. Cuomo had told the Port Authority’s executive director to “stand down” from trying to publicly blame Mr. Christie and his aides for the closings, at least until Mr. Christie had won re-election in November 2013.
Mr. Christie, a Republican, and Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, have previously denied that such a conversation ever occurred and said they played no role in the cover-up of the lane closings. A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo issued a statement sternly denying the governor and Mr. Christie had discussed a false story and denouncing Mr. Wildstein’s motives.
The testimony, from David Wildstein, a former Christie administration official at the Port Authority, left open the possibility that Mr. Cuomo did not know the true reason for the lane closings. Mr. Wildstein, who is cooperating with federal prosecutors in the trial of two former Christie aides, has said they were to punish a mayor for declining to endorse Mr. Christie’s re-election. Mr. Christie, a Republican, and Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, have previously denied that such a conversation occurred. Both have said they had no role in covering up the cause of the lane closings.
But Mr. Wildstein has previously testified that he told Mr. Christie about the lane closings and their punitive intent as they were occurring. The testimony by Mr. Wildstein, a former Christie administration official at the Port Authority, left open the possibility that Mr. Cuomo did not know the true reason for the closings. Mr. Wildstein has said they were meant to punish a mayor who did not endorse Mr. Christie’s re-election.
The two governors agreed that Christie administration officials would write the report about the traffic study and that the Port Authority’s executive director, who had been appointed by Mr. Cuomo, would sign off on it. The executive director, Patrick J. Foye, had ordered the lanes reopened when he learned about the shutdown four days after it began. But Mr. Wildstein testified previously that Mr. Christie knew about the closings and their punitive intent as they happened, and that the governor laughed when he heard about the traffic jam and that the mayor’s calls about public safety risks were being ignored.
At least one of his staff members had called reporters to say that the story about a traffic study was false, generating intense coverage of the lane closings and the motivation for closing them. On Tuesday, his seventh day on the witness stand, Mr. Wildstein was cross-examined by a lawyer for Bridget Anne Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie who is on trial with Bill Baroni, Mr. Christie’s former top staff appointee at the Port Authority.
Mr. Wildstein testified that top officials in the governor’s office and David Samson, Mr. Christie’s appointee as Port Authority chairman, had decided that New Jersey officials at the agency would write a report trying to legitimize the traffic study story. The report, Mr. Wildstein said, would seek to dismiss the mayor’s complaints by saying there had been a “failure of communication.”
Mr. Christie’s office would review the report, he said, and the authority’s executive director, Patrick J. Foye, appointed by Mr. Cuomo, would approve it.
Mr. Foye had ordered the lanes reopened when he learned about the shutdown four days after it began and had never been a fan of Mr. Wildstein. Mr. Foye knew the lane closings were not related to a traffic study, and at least one of his staff members had called reporters to say so, generating intense coverage of the closings and why they happened.
But Mr. Foye agreed to sign off on the report, Mr. Wildstein said in court on Tuesday, as long as New Jersey took responsibility.
“My understanding at the time was that this would put an end to this issue,” Mr. Wildstein testified, referring to the report by the two governors.“My understanding at the time was that this would put an end to this issue,” Mr. Wildstein testified, referring to the report by the two governors.
“Pat Foye would sign off on a false report?” a defense lawyer, Michael Critchley, asked him. “Pat Foye would sign off on a false report?” Ms. Kelly’s lawyer, Michael Critchley, asked him.
“Yes, sir, that was my understanding,” Mr. Wildstein responded. “Yes, sir, that was my understanding,” Mr. Wildstein said.
“And that was a result of conversations with Cuomo and Christie?” Mr. Critchley said.“And that was a result of conversations with Cuomo and Christie?” Mr. Critchley said.
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Wildstein said.“Yes, sir,” Mr. Wildstein said.
Mr. Cuomo’s office on Tuesday denied that any such conversation took place. “In fact no report of any kind was ever done, and whatever the admitted Bridgegate architect thought or dreamt about New York’s involvement has no basis in fact,” John Kelly, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said in a statement. “Anyone can say anything, especially a convicted felon spinning a tale, but it’s just false and delusional.” Mr. Cuomo’s office, Mr. Wildstein said, had told Mr. Foye to “lay off Christie.”
A lawyer representing Mr. Foye also challenged Mr. Wildstein’s testimony in a statement on Tuesday, calling it “not accurate” and adding that “Mr. Foye never had any such conversation or was given any such direction by the governor or his staff.” Mr. Wildstein acknowledged that his account was secondhand. He said he had heard about the conversations from Mr. Samson and Mr. Baroni.
The day after Mr. Christie won re-election, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Wildstein had been behind the order to close the lanes. Mr. Wildstein testified that he believed Mr. Cuomo’s direction to “stand down,” as Mr. Critchley said, did not extend beyond Election Day. Mr. Cuomo’s office on Tuesday denied that any such conversation had taken place.
“Whatever the admitted Bridgegate architect thought or dreamt about New York’s involvement has no basis in fact,” John P. L. Kelly, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said in a statement. “Anyone can say anything, especially a convicted felon spinning a tale, but it’s just false and delusional.”
No report was ever issued. Federal prosecutors and Mr. Wildstein have said that was because Mr. Baroni was asked to give testimony to a New Jersey legislative committee, and he read a version of the report there.
Mr. Wildstein also testified that Mr. Baroni told him that Kevin O’Dowd, Mr. Christie’s chief of staff, had had a conversation with his counterpart in Mr. Cuomo’s office, Lawrence S. Schwartz, in which they agreed that Mr. Foye, who had also been invited to testify at that hearing, would not.
Mr. Wildstein said he was also told by Mr. Christie’s spokesman, Michael Drewniak, that he had briefed Mr. O’Dowd on what New Jersey officials took to be Mr. Foye’s meddling in their business.
Ms. Kelly’s lawyer asked what that meant.
“That Governor Christie was in the middle of an election, that Mr. Foye was becoming involved and could potentially hurt Governor Christie, and that Mr. O’Dowd now understood and had reached out to Albany to get Foye to back off,” Mr. Wildstein replied.
Mr. Foye did not testify at the legislative hearing, but later accepted another invitation to speak to the Legislature.
Eric Corngold, a lawyer for Mr. Foye, said on Tuesday that “Mr. Wildstein’s testimony on this topic is not accurate.”
“Mr. Foye never had any such conversations or was given any such direction by the governor or any of his staff,” he continued.
The day after Mr. Christie won re-election, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Wildstein had been behind the order to close the lanes. Mr. Wildstein testified that he believed Mr. Cuomo’s direction to “stand down,” as Mr. Critchley said, did not extend past Election Day.
“I did not believe it was a coincidence that I had been told that Governor Cuomo had spoken to Mr. Foye during the election campaign and then suddenly comments from Mr. Foye went away,” Mr. Wildstein said, “and the day after the election a reporter called the Port Authority, called me, to talk about my involvement.”“I did not believe it was a coincidence that I had been told that Governor Cuomo had spoken to Mr. Foye during the election campaign and then suddenly comments from Mr. Foye went away,” Mr. Wildstein said, “and the day after the election a reporter called the Port Authority, called me, to talk about my involvement.”
Bridget Anne Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, and Bill Baroni, Mr. Christie’s top staff appointee at the Port Authority, are on trial on charges that they directed and approved the lane closings to punish the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., then covered up the scheme as a traffic study.