NEWARK, N.J.—A federal prosecutor told jurors Monday that a witness will testify that Republican Gov. Chris Christie was told about a plan to close traffic lanes near the George Washington Bridge as the shutdown was happening, a claim he has contested for years.
An attorney for one of the two former Christie allies on trial contended that the witness is a habitual liar.
The trial comes three years after gridlock paralyzed a town next to the busy bridge connecting New Jersey to New York City for four days. Prosecutors said Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly had sought political revenge against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich. Baroni was a top Christie appointee to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Kelly was Christie’s former chief of staff.
Bill Baroni (C) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former top appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and his attorney Michael Baldassare, (Center L), leave Federal Court after a hearing for jury selection in Newark, N.J., on Sept. 13, 2016. AP Photo/Mel Evans
