Christie: Supreme Court’s ‘Bridgegate’ ruling ends ‘political crusade’

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) claimed vindication on Thursday after the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions of two associates implicated in the 2013 “Bridgegate” scandal.

Christie said the court’s 9-0 opinion, in which the justices held that a politically motivated traffic jam targeting a local mayor fell short of violating federal law, brought an end to a “political crusade.”

“As many contended from the beginning, and as the court confirmed today, no federal crimes were ever committed in this matter by anyone in my administration,” Christie said in a statement. “It is good for all involved that today justice has finally been done.”

Christie also blasted former U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, who prosecuted the case, and the “leadership of the Obama Justice Department,” adding they were “culpable for permitting this misconduct to happen right under their noses, authorizing Paul Fishman to weaponize the office for political and partisan reasons.” 

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the court, said that while no laws were broken, the scheme did reveal serious ethical breaches.

“The evidence the jury heard no doubt shows wrongdoing — deception, corruption, abuse of power,” she wrote. “But the federal fraud statutes at issue do not criminalize all such conduct.”

The case concerned the convictions of Bridget Anne Kelly, a former aide to Christie, and Bill Baroni, a former Port Authority official, for creating a traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge that links New Jersey to New York City. The move was a response to the refusal by the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., to endorse Christie’s reelection campaign.

Harper Neidig contributed to this report.