Chris Christie Makes VP Short List Just As Bridgegate Scandal Re-emerges

Gov. Chris Christie apparently made Donald Trump's vice-president short list just as new Bridgegate Scandal developments that could affect the governor's aspirations have emerged.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, told The Associated Press that he has "a very good list of five or six people," all with deep political experience, and he's not ruled out Christie although the governor's been tapped to head his transition planning.

Trump said the decision to appoint Christie to head his White House transition team did not mean the governor was out of consideration. "No, not at all," he told The Associated Press.

A federal judge, meanwhile, ruled that the prosecutors in the Bridgegate lane-closure scandal must release the names of all those they believed participated in the payback scheme.

Federal Judge Susan Wigenton said the disclosure is “appropriate” based on the "public's right of access,” according to New Jersey Spotlight, even though the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey has argued that releasing the names of all un-indicted co-conspirators could violate their right to privacy.

It is not known if Gov. Chris Christie’s name is on the list. But the disclosures could impact him politically as he serves as a leader in the Trump campaign.

The unindicted co-conspirator list will likely include more names of top Christie appointees whom the federal government believes engaged in a plot to shut down the George Washington Bridge. The scheme was designed to retaliate against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee after he failed to endorse Christie for re-election.

In her ruling, Wigenton said there is very little that is private about the lane closures or the lives of people allegedly connected to them, according to WNYC.

"Further, individuals thus far identified as being involved in the lane closings have been public employees and/or elected or appointed officials, and anyone named in the Conspirator Letter is likely to have held a similar position," Wigenton was quoted as saying in the report.

David Wildstein, the Christie-appointed Port Authority official behind the Fort Lee Bridgegate traffic jam, pleaded guilty last year to two counts of conspiracy.

Former Christie aide Bridget Ann Kelly and Bill Baroni, another Christie appointee at the Port Authority, were also indicted in connection with the “Bridgegate” scandal, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Both have denied the charges against them.

Wildstein has admitted the scheme to close lanes at the George Washington Bridge, and create endless traffic jams over four successive mornings in the fall of 2013, was retribution to the Fort Lee mayor for not endorsing the governor’s re-election campaign, according the U.S. Attorneys Office.

As a result of those admissions, Baroni and Kelly were each charged with nine counts in a scheme to misuse Port Authority resources to facilitate and conceal the cause of traffic problems in Fort Lee in September of 2013.