New Jersey's 'Bridgegate' defendants executed 'vicious' scheme: prosecutor
Source: Reuters
POLITICS | Fri Oct 28, 2016 | 12:16pm EDT
New Jersey's 'Bridgegate' defendants executed 'vicious' scheme: prosecutor
By Joseph Ax | NEWARK, N.J.
Two former allies of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie deliberately closed access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in a "vicious" and unlawful political revenge scheme, a federal prosecutor said on Friday at the close of their criminal trial.
Bridget Kelly, the governor's former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, abused their power to create a massive traffic jam in order to punish a local mayor for failing to back Christie's re-election campaign, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Cortes told jurors in Newark, New Jersey.
"As cruel and callous as that scheme was, what makes it unlawful was that they misused government resources to carry it out," Cortes said in closing arguments at federal court in Newark, New Jersey.
Baroni's lawyer is expected to deliver his closing argument later on Friday.
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