Global InformationFort Lee lane closure scandal information
The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, better known as Bridgegate,[1][2] was a political scandal in the U.S. state of New Jersey in 2013 and 2014. It involved a staff member and political appointees of then-governor Chris Christie colluding to create traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey by closing lanes at the main toll plaza[3][4] for the upper level of the George Washington Bridge.[5]
On September 9, 2013, two of three toll lanes for a local street entrance were closed during morning rush hour. Local officials, emergency services, and the public were not notified of the lane closures, which Fort Lee declared a threat to public safety.[6] The resulting gridlock ended when the two lanes were reopened on September 13 by an order from Port Authority Executive Director and Democrat from New York, Patrick Foye. He said that the "hasty and ill-informed decision" could have endangered lives and violated federal and state laws.[7]
It has been suggested that the lanes had been closed to cause the massive traffic problem for political reasons, and especially theorized that they were a retributive attack against Mayor of Fort Lee Mark Sokolich, a Democrat who had not supported Christie as a candidate in the 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election. The ensuing investigations centered on several of Christie's appointees and staff, including[8][9] David Wildstein, who ordered the lanes closed,[10] and Bill Baroni, who had told the New Jersey Assembly Transportation Committee that the closures were for a traffic study.[11]
An investigation led by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman[12] resulted in a nine-count indictment against Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff, Baroni and Wildstein.[13] Wildstein entered a guilty plea, and testified against Baroni and Kelly, who were found guilty on all counts in November 2016.[14] David Samson pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy in July 2016, for acts unrelated to the lane closures but unearthed by the federal Bridgegate investigation.[15]
At the time of the scandal, Christie was a leading contender for the 2016 Republican nomination for President.[16][17][18][19] The scandal was widely cited as a major factor in the early demise of Christie's 2016 presidential ambitions, and he dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary.[20][21][22][23] Christie described the scandal as "a factor" in why he was bypassed by Donald Trump as the vice presidential nominee.[24] Both the prosecution and the defense in the trial of two of Christie's former aides argued that Christie knew of his close associates' involvement in a plan to shut down lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge as it was happening, and that the closings were to punish Sokolich for declining to support Christie's reelection bid.[25] This was the first time Christie had been officially accused of contemporaneous knowledge of the plot.[26]
The defendants in the case appealed their convictions, and in 2019 the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari and heard the case (known as Kelly v. United States) in 2020.[27][28] One defendant, Bill Baroni, having already begun serving his federal prison term, asked for immediate release.[29][30] In May 2020 the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions, judging that the defendants could not have violated the fraud statutes they were charged under since they had not obtained "money or property".[31][32]
- ^ Bruinius, Harry (January 31, 2014). "Bridge-gate: Key figure says Chris Christie knew about lane closures (+video)". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ Larson, Leslie (January 31, 2014). "Christie campaign seeks funds to cover Bridgegate legal costs". Daily News (New York). Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Ft. Lee entrance mapwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
laneclosuresgraphicwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The backstory of Christie's 'Bridgegate' scandal". USA Today. January 10, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ Alcindor, Yamiche (January 10, 2014). "Fort Lee traffic jam caused human debacle". USA Today. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- ^ "PA chief Patrick Foye's email on George Washington Bridge closures". Newsday. January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ^ Strunsky, Steve (March 11, 2014). "Chris Christie bridge scandal: documents show Port Authority chairman blasting executive director". The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ.
- ^ Baxter, Christopher (March 11, 2014). "Updated: Timeline of Port Authority's George Washington Bridge controversy". The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ Mann, Ted (January 14, 2014). "Christie, official who arranged bridge closures were together during fiasco". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Record Timelinewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Johnson, Brent (May 2, 2014). "Christie bridge scandal: NJ attorney general is mum on whether his office is investigating". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- ^ Seidman, Andrew. "Paul Fishman, U.S. attorney for New Jersey, offers no wider opinion on Bridgegate", The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 19, 2015).
- ^ Racioppi, Dustin (November 4, 2016). "BREAKING: Bridgegate verdict: Guilty on all counts". The Record. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Times - Samson felonywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Barbaro, Michael (May 2, 2015). "With Bridge Case Charges, a Cloud Descends on Christie's White House Hopes". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ Miller, Jake (February 12, 2014). "Thanks to scandal, Clinton would crush Christie in 2016, poll says". CBS News. Retrieved February 17, 2014.(Poll conducted February 4–9, 2014)
- ^ Johnson, Brent (February 5, 2014). "Chris Christie's 2016 prospects drop amid allegations, new poll shows". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 17, 2014.(Poll conducted January 31 to February 2, 2014)
- ^ Evans, Dave (January 9, 2014). "Gov. Christie faces political fallout from BridgeGate scandal". ABC. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Moody, Chris; Killough, Ashley (June 30, 2015). "Chris Christie launches 2016 presidential bid". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2016. "Christie's stature within the party has dipped in his second term as governor, particularly since the "Bridgegate" scandal."
- ^ LoBianco, Tony; Preston, Mark (February 10, 2016). "Chris Christie suspends campaign". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2016. "the damage from "Bridgegate" had many wondering whether his campaign was dead from the start."
- ^ Katz, Matt (February 10, 2016). "Chris Christie and New Hampshire: 10 Things That Went Wrong". WNYC. Retrieved February 21, 2016. "for a guy who rose to political prominence as a corruption-busting truth-teller, the scandal was anti-brand, damaging his image beyond repair."
- ^ Barbaro, Michael (April 15, 2015). "Even in New Hampshire, 'Bridgegate' Dogs Christie". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2016. "Chris Christie's name has tumbled off the list of top-tier presidential candidates. ... For Mr. Christie, the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge are a weight tethering his political ambitions to the ground."
- ^ Gass, Nick (September 15, 2016). "Christie: 'I'm sure' Bridgegate was 'a factor' in Trump's VP decision". Politico. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Berger, Paul; Racioppi, Dustin; Sampson, Peter J. "Lawyers on both sides of Bridgegate trial paint Christie as central figure". NorthJersey.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ Zernike, Kate (September 19, 2016). "Chris Christie Knew About Bridge Lane Closings as They Happened, Prosecutors Say". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ "U.S. Supreme Court to hear Bridgegate appeal. Stunning move keeps alive case that dogged Christie". June 28, 2019.
- ^ "How will Supreme Court shocker affect Christie, Kelly, Baroni and others tied to Bridgegate saga?". June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Baroni asks for immediate release from prison, in wake of stunning Supreme Court decision to hear Bridgegate case". July 2019.
- ^ "Bridgegate is a case of bareknuckle New Jersey politics, not graft, defense attorneys tell U.S. Supreme Court". September 17, 2019.
- ^ U.S. Supreme Court throws out Bridgegate convictions, 6 years after an epic traffic jam NJ.com 7 May 2020
- ^ "KELLY v. UNITED STATES ET AL. – CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. May 7, 2020. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
Because the scheme here did not aim to obtain money or property, Baroni and Kelly could not have violated the federal-program fraud or wire fraud laws. We therefore reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.