The Bridgegate trial enters its fourth week with two tangential players armed with firsthand knowledge of those lane closings on the George Washington Bridge. Cameras are not allowed in federal court, but NJTV News Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron was there.
Aron: Federal prosecutors are filling in more blanks on who was told what and when.
Today’s lead-off witness was former governor’s office Deputy Chief of Staff Deborah Gramiccioni.
She told the jury that in November of 2013 Bill Baroni told her he that had heard that there were emails implicating Bridget Kelly in the GWB lanes closure scheme.
The scheme took place in September 2013.
Gov. Christie’s famous mea culpa news conference was on Jan. 9, 2014.
Gramiccioni said that in late November she shared what Baroni had told her with Chief Counsel Charles McKenna, who said he had heard the same.
On Dec. 12, Gramiccioni said she decided to tell Gov. Christie.
Gramiccioni: “So I went into his office and told him there was a hum in the office that Bridget’s name was on some emails.”
Prosecutor Vikas Khanna: “And what was his reaction?”
Grammiccione: “He was visibly concerned.”
The next day, Gramiccioni said, Christie called a meeting of his senior staff, yelled at them and ordered anyone who knew anything to come clean.
Chrsitie then held a press conference and denied any involvement by his senior staff.
Afterwards, Gramiccioni saw Bridget Kelly crying in her office.
Gramiccioni: “I tried to comfort her. I raised the ‘prisoners’ dilemma’.”
Khanna: “And what is that?”
Gramiccioni: “If you know something bad, you’re better off in the long run being the first to come forward.”
She added that Chief of Staff Kevin O’Dowd and Campaign Manager Bill Stepien were in Kelly’s office that afternoon looking over her shoulder at her computer.
On cross examination, Bill Baroni’s attorney, Michael Baldassare, asked her how Baroni responded when she told him she was going to tell others what she knew.
Baldassare: “Did he seem concerned?”
Gramiccioni: “No.”
“Did he sweat?”
“No.”
“Did he tell you not to do it?”
“No.”
“And when you told him the governor had asked you to succeed him at the Port Authority? Did he seem rude or upset?”
“No. He was a gentleman, the consummate professional.”
Baroni’s reputation, however, took a hit with the afternoon witness.
Paul Nunziato is the president of the Port Authority PBA, the police union.
He testified that three days before Baroni would testify to an Assembly committee that the lane closures were a traffic study, Baroni and Wildstein asked him to say it had all been his idea.
“Absolutlely not,” Nunziato said he told them.
Three days later Baroni did tell Assembly members that Port Authority Police had suggested the traffic study.
Nunziato said he was appalled listening to the live stream of that hearing and that at one point his vice president yelled “he’s an eff-ing liar.”
The jury got to see three video clips of Baroni allegedly giving false testimony at that hearing.
Testimony ended today with Nunziato’s vice president on the stand confirming what his boss said.
The trial resumes Thursday after a day off for the Jewish holiday.