NEWARK, N.J. — The attorney for one of the defendants in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing case claims it was his client’s ex-colleague who gave the order for the closures to coincide with the first day of school.
An attorney for former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official Bill Baroni filed a document Tuesday that reveals some passages that were blacked out in a filing earlier this month.
Baroni and former Gov. Chris Christie aide Bridget Kelly filed motions this month seeking access to documents that have been withheld and deemed privileged.
Tuesday’s filing shows they also are focusing on an alleged admission by former Port Authority official David Wildstein that he planned the lane closures to coincide with the first day of school in Fort Lee. The defense says the government has alleged Baroni planned the timing.
The closures plunged Fort Lee into gridlock for four days in September 2013 before the Port Authority’s executive director ordered the lanes reopened.
Prosecutors filed a 55-page brief late Tuesday, rejecting claims by the defense attorneys, who alleged evidence has been withheld or provided in an unusable manner.
Wildstein has pleaded guilty, and Baroni and Kelly were indicted last spring on counts including conspiracy, fraud and deprivation of civil rights.
As part of his plea, Wildstein said the closures were meant to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie for re-election. Christie, who is seeking the GOP presidential nomination, hasn’t been charged and has disavowed any previous knowledge of the scheme.
The unredacted portions in Tuesday’s filing bolster the notion that the defendants will seek to portray Wildstein as a habitual liar who deceived them about the reason for the lane closings.
Baroni and Kelly also are seeking access to additional information from the government under rules of discovery, which require prosecutors to share evidence that might prove innocence.