Five Things You Need to Know About 'Bridgegate' Scandal

A little over a year since the George Washington Bridge scandal broke, the first guilty plea in the case came on Friday.

David Wildstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obtain by fraud and conspiracy against civil rights on Friday.

The guilty plea paved the way for more indictments to be announced and brought the scandal back to the forefront of New Jersey – and possibly national – politics.

Here are a few things you should know to refresh your minds about the incident:

1. Wildstein’s guilty plea comes after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself when he first appeared before a state Assembly committee in January of last year. Since then, he resigned and has been out of work. It has been reported that Wildstein, who went to high school with Christie, has said he discussed the closings with Christie ahead of time.
2. The problem itself took place on Sept. 9, 2013, the first day of the school year, when when two of three eastbound toll lanes were closed to morning rush hour traffic for no reason. Local officials said they were not notified that there would be closures. The traffic jam lasted a week, ending only when the lanes were reopened on Sept. 13. A 91-year-old woman died as she sat in traffic because first aid responders were unable to reach her.
3. Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich has accused the governor of calling for the lane closures because of Sokolich’s refusal to endorse Christie in his 2013 re-election bid. Christie’s denied prior knowledge of the closures, fired those responsible and been cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation, an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and an investigation by the State Legislature.
4. What has happened to those involved in the scandal? Bridget Anne Kelly was fired as a result of the scandal. The mother of four has been out of work since. Christie’s former campaign manager Bill Stepien was also fired, and is working for a data and direct-mail operation in Minnesota. Bill Baroni resigned from the Port Authority and is working for a law firm based in Princeton. He is still waiting to see if he his former employer will indemnify him. David Samson resigned as Port Authority Chairman and is set to retire from his law practice.
5. Christie’s presidential ambitions may have been the biggest victim. He was the darling of the Republican Party in 2012, even delivering a highly anticipated and well-received speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Christie now sits at the bottom of most polls of potential Republican presidential candidates for 2016. He is expected to announce his candidacy in the coming weeks.