Judge: Co-Conspirators In Bridgegate Scandal Should Be Revealed
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A list of unindicted co-conspirators should be made public in the case of two former allies of Republican Gov. Chris Christie charged in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal, a judge ruled Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton said it's in the public's interest for the government to disclose the list, which has not yet been made public.
Little is known about who or how many people are on the list, but the judge's order notes that a U.S. attorney has limited the list to those "whom the Government has sufficient evidence to designate as having joined the conspiracy.''
The ruling came after a lawsuit filed by media organizations.
"This has been a matter of tremendous interest to the residents of New Jersey and countless others who rely on the George Washington Bridge. We are thrilled by the court's decision to unseal the list of unindicted co-conspirators,'' said Paul Colford, Associated Press vice president and director of media relations.
Bruce Rosen, an attorney for the media group, says he filed a letter Tuesday with the judge asking her to immediately release the list.
A message with U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman's office was not immediately returned.
Wigenton rejected arguments that the privacy of those on the list was at risk. She also wrote that cases involving allegations of violations of the public's trust increase the people's need to monitor proceedings.
"Although privacy for third-parties is indeed important, this Court is satisfied that the privacy interests of uncharged third parties are insufficiently compelling to outweigh the public's right of access,'' Wigenton said.
The George Washington Bridge, one of the busiest bridges in the world, connects Fort Lee and Manhattan. Christie aides were accused of engineering the traffic jams in September 2013 by ordering lane closings in Fort Lee to punish its mayor, who didn't support Christie for re-election. The lane closures caused four days of massive traffic jams.
Christie's former deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official Bill Baroni were indicted last spring on wire fraud and civil rights deprivation charges in the case. They have pleaded not guilty in the case.
Former Port Authority official David Wildstein pleaded guilty last year and is expected to testify against Kelly and Baroni.
Brigid Harrison, who teaches law and political science at Montclair State, said the order might not be good news for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
"The trail traces close within the inner circle of his administration," Harrison told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell. I think that that's very damaging for Governor Christie."
Christie has insisted he was in the dark. But with Christie playing a role in the Trump campaign, Harrison said this spotlight is not what he wants.
"The closer the circle comes to the governor, the more damning it is," she said.
A taxpayer-funded report that Christie commissioned also absolved him of wrongdoing.
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