Former Christie Ally Admits BridgeGate Was Revenge Plot Against Mayor

Charts with budget data hang on a wall, in background, as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering at a town hall meeting, Wednesday, March 4, 2015, in Fair Lawn, N.J. Christie spoke about his proposed bu... Charts with budget data hang on a wall, in background, as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering at a town hall meeting, Wednesday, March 4, 2015, in Fair Lawn, N.J. Christie spoke about his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and also said that the state would have to raise taxes to afford paying a court-mandated amount into the pension system for public sector employees. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) MORE LESS
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A former ally of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) admitted Friday that he directed lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to punish a local politician for refusing to endorse the governor’s 2013 re-election bid.

David Wildstein, a former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive appointed by Christie, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Newark to two conspiracy counts, according to USA Today.

The former Port Authority official also admitted that the lane closures, which snarled traffic for days around the town of Fort Lee, New Jersey, were a plot to exact revenge against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, according to the Associated Press.

The New York Times reported that Christie’s former chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, and another of the governor’s appointees at the Port Authority, Bill Baroni, also are expected to be indicted Friday.

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