Gov. Chris Christie's former deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly, center, and her attorney Michael Critchley, second from left. | AP Photo/Mel Evans Ex-aide says Christie's office created 'alternate universe' after bridge scam, set her up for blame

NEWARK — While the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal had been gaining steam for three months, it wasn't until Gov. Chris Christie gave a marathon news conference regarding the closures that Bridget Anne Kelly suspected she was being set up as a scapegoat, she said in court Monday.

Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Christie who, along with former Port Authority deputy director Bill Baroni, is charged with the lane closure conspiracy, maintained that she believed the closures were part of a legitimate traffic study blessed by the Port Authority, rather than an act of political retribution aimed at Democratic Ft. Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie's reelection bid.


She testified that on the day of the Dec. 13, 2013 news conference, Christie hastily called a senior staff meeting and instructed the dozen or so people in the room to tell Kevin O'Dowd, the governor's chief of staff, if they knew anything about the closures prior to the first media reports.

Kelly said she “reminded” O'Dowd that she had known, that he had known and the governor had known about the closures. She said they had discussed the closures several times in August and September.

“The first part of my discussion with Kevin O'Dowd was immediately following the staff meeting,” Kelly said in federal court Monday. “I said 'Kevin, we spoke last night. I knew about the traffic study, you knew about the traffic study, the governor knew about the traffic study. Now there's a subpoena for documents.' I told him I did have documents and I did delete them.”

But when Christie stood before reporters later that day, he claimed neither his staff nor he had any prior knowledge of the closures.

It was then that Kelly said she began occupying an “alternate universe.”

Not only was Christie aware of the closures, but he had told Gov. Andrew Cuomo to exert influence over Pat Foye, Cuomo's appointee at the authority, to stop criticizing the lane closures, Kelly said.

“The governor said that he had a conversation with Gov. Cuomo and he told Gov. Cuomo to tell Pat Foye to 'back the f--- off.'”

In two news conferences, one on Dec. 2 and the extended one on Dec. 13, Kelly said Christie lied about his knowledge of the lane closures, his conversation with Cuomo and about his conversations with senior staff.

After the Dec. 13 conference, Kelly said she frantically tried to talk to her boss, O'Dowd, and found him suddenly elusive.

“I wanted to talk to him about what just went on in the press conference because it was like an alternate world,” she said, beginning to cry on the stand. “I was scared. I had four kids. And I needed to be as forthright with them as I could be because what they were saying in the media wasn't what I knew to be the case.”

Throughout her second day of testimony, she continued to portray the governor as someone quick to anger, susceptible to perceived slights, and willing to cause harm to those who crossed him. Following the staff meeting she said her greatest fears began to set in.

“I was, at that point, petrified because now nobody was remembering that the knew about this traffic study,” Kelly testified.

Michael Critchley, her lawyer, asked, “Do you know what the word 'scapegoat' is? Did you feel you were in jeopardy?”

“I was petrified. I had no one to go to talk to about what I thought was going on,” Kelly said, again in tears. “Everyone's livelihoods depended on Chris Christie. Including mine.”

Less than three weeks later, Kelly testified she was on her way to work and a local phone number she didn't recognize popped up on her cellphone. A reporter had gotten a hold of her now infamous email that said, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

Kelly testified that her phone didn't stop ringing after that. She called Christie's communications director, Maria Comella, who told her not to come to the office. As she approached her home she saw it teeming with reporters. She went to her parents' home and saw reporters there as well before going to the home of another relative.

She testified she then received an unsolicited call from an attorney who had been asked to contact her. The attorney said the next morning, Jan. 9, she would get a call from the governor's office when she would be terminated.

“I was going to be OK,” she said she was told. “A job would be found for me and that I would be OK.”

As Critchley closed two days of questioning he asked Kelly outright if she ever had any knowledge of a scheme to close the lanes as an act of retribution, as has been claimed by federal prosecutors.

“Absolutely not,” she said.

The U.S. attorney's office briefly began cross examination of Kelly Monday and will continue Tuesday at federal court in Newark.