TRENTON, N.J. — Lawyers for two key figures in a political payback scandal ensnaring Gov. Chris Christie's administration will go in court to try to persuade a judge not to force them to turn over text messages and other private communications to New Jersey legislators investigating the matter.
Fired Christie staff member Bridget Kelly and two-time campaign manager Bill Stepien say complying with the subpoenas carries the risk of self-incrimination.
Kelly did not speak to the reporters who surrounded her when she arrived at the courthouse Tuesday. Stepien was not expected to attend.
The subpoenas seek documents involving the intentional blocking of traffic near the George Washington Bridge in September, which created hours-long backups in nearby Fort Lee, apparently to punish the town's Democratic mayor.
A parallel criminal investigation by the U.S. attorney's office seeks to uncover whether federal laws were broken. The legislative panel wants to find out how high up Christie's chain of command the lane-closing scheme went and why it was hatched.
