Governor was informed in real time about plot to wreak revenge on a mayor who refused to back him for re-election by creating traffic chaos, prosecutors said

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey was informed in real time about the plot to wreak revenge on a small-town mayor who refused to back him for re-election by creating traffic chaos over the George Washington bridge, federal prosecutors said on Monday.

The stunning claim was made during opening remarks by the prosecution at the trial of two of Christie’s once close associates in Newark. Bridget Kelly, the governor’s then deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, former deputy head of the Port Authority which controlled the bridge, are charged with instigating lane closures in September 2013 as an act of political spite against Mark Sokolich, the mayor of Fort Lee that sits in the shadow of the GWB.

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Though Christie himself has not been charged, how much he knew about any nefarious intent behind the gridlock is the elephant in the courtroom. Delivering his opening statement, assistant US attorney Vikas Khanna referred to a 9/11 memorial ceremony held on the third day of the traffic crisis that was attended by Christie and several of his inner team.

There has long been speculation about what was said at that event after photos of Christie emerged in the company of Baroni and Kelly. Also present at the ceremony was David Wildstein, another top Port Authority executive who has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy and is now the star witness for the prosecution.

Khanna told the jury they would hear testimony from Wildstein in which he would describe the brief conversation that took place there. “During those precious few minutes, they bragged about the fact that there were traffic problems in Fort Lee and that Mayor Sokolich was not getting his calls returned.”

Christie has consistently denied he knew at the time that his associates had colluded in creating traffic hell for Fort Lee. But the suggestion that he was in the loop has followed him around like a bad smell for the past three years, helping to destroy his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, which collapsed in February.

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Since flaming out of the race for the White House, Christie has put his eggs into the Donald Trump basket. The claims emanating from the so-called Bridgegate trial are awkwardly timed given that Christie is acting as Trump’s surrogate on law and order.

Both Kelly, 44, and Baroni, also 44, have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their own defense could also prove uncomfortable for Christie as they have indicated they will call on witnesses who are well versed in the inner workings of the governor’s administration.

Fort Lee’s traffic nightmare began on 9 September 2013 and lasted for four days. Two out of three toll lanes that had been reserved as the town’s access point to the GWB – the world’s busiest bridge for cars – were closed in what prosecutors allege was a vindictive act. Mayor Sokolich, a Democrat, had previously indicated he would not endorse Christie in his gubernatorial re-election bid, a stance that angered Christie’s office that had been trying to present him as a genuinely bipartisan politician.

The traffic back-up that ensued occurred in the first week of the school year, creating havoc throughout Fort Lee.

In a now notorious email sent a month before lanes were closed, Kelly said to Wildstein: “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” The official replied: “Got it.”