A former ally of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is set to appear Friday in federal court to answer to charges that he coordinated the shutdown of the George Washington Bridge, according to a report out this week.
David Wildstein, a former official at the New York and New Jersey Port Authority official, is expected to plead guilty to the federal charges, according to a Bloomberg Business report. Wildstein would become the first person convicted in the investigation into the September 2013 lane closures, which were allegedly carried out as political retribution.
The U.S. Attorney’s office announced “a proceeding of interest in a criminal matter” related to the investigation before U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton at a Newark courthouse scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday. After that, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, Port Authority Inspector General Michael Nestor and an FBI official will address the issue at a 1 p.m. press conference.
That investigation has also focused on Christie, who appointed Wildstein to the Port Authority position, and the governor’s staff. Federal prosecutors reportedly interviewed Christie over the Bridgegate affair late last year.
Christie has repeatedly denied any involvement in or advance knowledge of the lane closures.
It is not yet clear whether Wildstein struck a plea deal with prosecutors to give them more information into how the scandal unfolded.
Wildstein is not the only link to Christie in the scandal.
Christie fired his former deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly after an email she sent to Wildstein calling for “traffic problems in Fort Lee” surfaced.
Christie also cut loose one of his top advisers, Bill Stepien, who was expected to play a key role in an eventual Christie presidential campaign, after Stepien’s name also popped up in email exchanges linked to the bridge closures.
The controversy surrounding the closures deeply damaged Christie’s standing within the national GOP and raised doubts about his viability in the presidential race, but the governor has continued to prepare for a bid and has given little indication that the scandal will dissuade him from the race.
