With two weeks of explosive, often expletive-laced testimony behind them, the Bridgegate attorneys turned their attention to that traffic study. The concocted cover story for those “traffic troubles in Fort Lee”. Cameras are not allowed in federal court, but NJTV News Correspondent David Cruz was there.
Cruz: They have shut down the overflow room at the Bridgegate trial now that David Wildstein is off the stand. And there were fewer spectators in the courtroom today.
Former Christie insider Christina Renna was the highest-profile witness; we’ll get to her in a moment.
But turning to Bridget Kelly’s role in the scheme, the prosecution put former Constituent Relations Director Jean Ashmore on the stand to recall a conversation she had with Kelly on the first or second day of the lane closures.
Here’s Ashmore. She said, “I explained to her that we had received a handful of angry calls from people stuck in traffic.”
Lee Cortes, the prosecutor said, “What did she say?”
“She nodded and said OK,” responded Ashmore.
Cortes asked, “Did that answer any of your questions?”
Ashmore said, “No.”
Cortes: “What was her reaction?”
Ashmore: “She nodded … and she smiled at times.”
On cross examination, Kelly’s attorney countered.
This is Michael Critchley talking. He said, “You knew each other well, so it was not unusual for you to get a smile [from her].”
Ashmore says, “No.”
As for Christina Renna, who ran Intergovernmental Affairs at the time, prosecutors continued their theme of the Port Authority goody bag.
Renna testified that mayors who were likely to endorse the governor got lunch meetings with him, invitations to parties and seats in the governor’s box at MetLife Stadium. But there was also a “hands off” list, and Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich found himself on that list.
Renna says, “If a mayor was in the ‘penalty box’, then we had no more communications with them.”
Cortes asked, “Did you know the reasons why?”
Renna said, “Sometimes, not always.”
Cortes: “When an official went in, did they remain there indefinitely?”
Renna says, “Sometimes.”
Renna said she recalled a conversation with Bridget Kelly about a staffer meeting with Mark Sokolich, which she testified angered Kelly.
Renna said that Kelly told her that there should be no more outreach to Sokolich.
This was less than a month before Kelly wrote her “time for some traffic problems” email.