Donald Trump said that he would stick with Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) as the leader of his transition team, the day after federal prosecutors said that Christie was aware of a 2013 bridge closure, which had been ordered in retaliation for the lack of a political endorsement.
In a statement made to The New York Times, the Republican Presidential nominee lauded Christie, giving no indication he would drop the embattled governor.
“I have known and liked Chris for 15 years,” Trump said. “After his recent run for president, he called me to say that he would like to endorse me in that he sees a movement like he has never seen before. I was greatly honored, accepted his endorsement, and he has been a spectacular advocate ever since.”
The Times noted that Trump made no mention of Christie’s troubles. “And his view of Mr. Christie seems shaped by a single factor that shapes many of Mr. Trump’s views: loyalty,” the paper noted.
Christie was the first major elected official to endorse Trump, when he backed the heir-businessman in late February, while the primary field was still crowded. Christie had dropped out of the contest not long before that, having been dogged by low poll numbers.
On Monday, at opening statements in the trial of an aide to Christie, a federal prosecutor said that the governor had been briefed on the George Washington Bridge lane closures—ordered in 2013 to retaliate against the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for not endorsing Christie in his gubernatorial race.
The defendants in the case are Bridget Ann Kelly, Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, a former Port Authority executive appointed by Christie. They have been charged with nine counts of conspiracy, fraud and other charges related to the 2013 lane closures.
Assistant US Attorney Vikas Khanna said Monday that David Wildstein, another former Christie aide, would testify that Baroni told Christie of the George Washington Bridge plan, while attending Sept. 11 memorial commemorations in Manhattan.
Wildstein already pleaded guilty to crimes related to the 2013 bridge closure, and is now a cooperating witness for federal prosecutors.
“The evidence will show that … they bragged about the fact that there were traffic problems in Fort Lee and that Mayor Sokolich was not getting his calls returned,” Khanna said.
According to NJ.com, Khanna also told jurors Wildstein would “admit that he was the one who came up with that idea,” but that Kelly and Baroni ran with it.
In its reporting on Trump’s decision to stand by Christie, The New York Times noted that the Republican nominee once brought up the bridge closure during a debate.
“He totally knew about it,” Trump said of the Governor and the incident. “They’re with him all the time, the people that did it.”
