Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly are accused of causing a massive traffic jam as political revenge against the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey who did not endorse Gov. Chris Christie for re-election. A witness may testify that Christie was told about the plan although he denies any knowledge.
The alleged target of a political retribution plot by two former allies of Republican Gov. Chris Christie could take the stand at their trial.
Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich is expected to be one of the first witnesses called by the government in its case against Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni. They allegedly caused massive traffic jams in his city in September 2013 to punish the Democrat for not endorsing Christie.
Kelly and Baroni claim their actions weren't criminal and the alleged scheme was orchestrated by another former Port Authority official, David Wildstein, who has pleaded guilty.
During opening statements on Monday, defense attorneys portrayed Wildstein as a political opportunist and bully who was Christie's eyes and ears at the agency, where Baroni was deputy executive director.
