Bridgegate – Bridget Kelly, Bill Baroni plead innocent, face July trial date

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Two former political allies of New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie have pleaded not guilty after they were charged in a scheme to close lanes of the George Washington Bridge as political retribution.

Christie's former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly, and his former top appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Bill Baroni, entered the pleas through their attorneys Monday before a judge in Newark.

Bail for both has been set at $150,000 and the trial was tentatively set for July 7. Kelly and Baroni were named in a nine-count indictment unsealed Friday after a year-long investigation. Both have claimed innocence. Former Christie ally David Wildstein pleaded guilty Friday to two criminal counts and implicated Kelly and Baroni in the scheme.

Christie has not been implicated in the criminal case, but Kelly's attorney, Michael Critchley, didn't rule out serving a subpoena on the governor.

"I am going to subpoena anybody who I feel is necessary to establish my client's innocence," Critchley said after Monday's brief proceeding. "That could include anybody."

On Friday, Kelly told reporters that it was "ludicrous" for the indictment to suggest that she was the only person in Christie's office who was aware of the bridge issue.

In his first public words in more than a year Monday, Baroni denied the charges and said he would testify in court.

"I would never risk my career, my job and my reputation for something like this," Baroni said. "I am an innocent man."

It was also announced Monday that Baroni has left his position as counsel to the law firm of Hill Wallack.

Robert W. Bacso, the firm's managing partner, issued a statement saying Baroni left "in order to totally focus his efforts on his defense and the vindication of his reputation."

Kelly didn't talk to reporters Monday but also said she was innocent at a news conference on Friday.

Baroni smiled as he entered the courtroom and shook hands with Kelly at the defense table.

Kelly has launched a legal defense fund online. The homepage features a family portrait of Kelly and her children, with the message: "I am determined to clear my name and restore a sense of normalcy for my 4 children. This Fun will aid in ensuring truth and justice prevails."

Wildstein, who went to high school with Christie and later became a top official in the Port Authority, pleaded guilty Friday to two criminal counts. He admitted that he helped plot lane closures in Fort Lee on an approach to the world's busiest bridge as political payback against that community's Democratic mayor for failing to support Christie's re-election campaign.

"If David Wildstein was willing to repeatedly lie to settle a petty political grudge, nobody should be surprised at his eagerness to concoct any story that he thinks will help him stay out of federal prison," said Baroni's lawyer Michael Baldassarre. "We're confident that everyone will see this desperate ploy for exactly what this is."

Christie has not been implicated in the criminal case.

Here are some related aspects.

CHRISTIE AND 2016

The charges provide mixed news for Christie as he tries to regain momentum in support of an expected presidential bid.

Christie appears to have been cleared of any allegations that he personally participated in the scheme, but the charges brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey still hit close to home.

Christie's aides and backers hope the developments will allow the governor to put this chapter behind him less than a year before the first presidential primaries, even as legal proceedings have just begun. In many ways, the outcome was the best he could have hoped for — little new information and no names mentioned beyond those Christie had already cut ties to.

PORT AUTHORITY REFORM:

The indictments and the still-looming investigation involving the former chairman of the Port Authority have underlined the need for reform at the agency. David Samson wasn't mentioned, meaning the separate investigation stemming from his time as chairman could yield further embarrassment for the bi-state authority.

But despite the scandals, its leadership is optimistic.

Port Authority Chairman John Degnan said there's an opportunity to learn from the indictments, "if there's anything we missed that we should do."

"In the seeds of disaster were the potential for reform. I view the indictments as another step in the healing process, reformation process," Degnan, who was appointed by Christie last year after Samson resigned, told The Associated Press last week.

Degnan stressed that the agency's new whistleblower policy is "one of the most aggressive in the country." Degnan said the agency supports employees who come forward if they see any potential violations, a policy he said could have avoided the lane-closing scandal since some employees likely were afraid to report the actions of superiors.

PUBLIC MONEY:

New Jersey residents have paid about $10 million in legal costs related to the closure, according to an AP review of documents from the Legislature and the Department of Law and Public Safety.

The largest share — about $7.3 million — went for the governor's outside counsel, the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, which produced a report that cleared the governor of any connection to a politically motivated lane closing. But the Democrat-led Legislature has also racked up some $1 million in legal fees.

The state accrued costs for outside legal counsel used to represent state employees involved in the probe, and Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich says the borough's legal fees have topped $200,000.

It's unclear exactly how much federal cash has gone into the probe. U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said his office does not track how much the investigation costs, but added that every investigation is different and requires differing amounts of resources.

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