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Former Christie Campaign Staffer Among Bridge Case Witnesses

Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are both on the US attorney's witness list of more than 300 names, but not everyone on that list will be called to testify.

Wildstein has pleaded guilty in the scheme. Christie's office has pointed to a statement he gave in 2014, denying he knew about the plot while it was ongoing.

Baroni was Wildstein's boss at the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey.

During testimony earlier Friday, former Christie campaign staffer Matt Mowers said Christie wrote a letter to the Port Authority supporting the purchase of commuter shuttle buses Sokolich had requested.

Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey, testified at the trial of former Port Authority deputy executive director Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly, Republican Gov. Chris Christie's former deputy chief of staff. Christie, who went to high school with Wildstein, wasn't charged. He pleaded guilty previous year to orchestrating traffic jams in 2013 to punish a Democratic mayor who didn't endorse Christie.

Attorneys for Baroni and Kelly have attacked Wildstein's credibility throughout the first week of trial.

Defense attorneys for two allies of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie accused of closing access lanes to the George Washington Bridge to punish a political rival sought to portray the agency that runs the bridge as dysfunctional and riven with political infighting.

The Port Authority honcho had previous described Wildstein as "the culprit" responsible for the four-days of lane closures that caused gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J. Murray declined to address the assertion that Christie had known about the lane closures as they were happening.

Wildstein said that Baroni hired him as director of interstate capital projects but, in practice, his "job was to act as Mr. Baroni's chief of staff".

His testimony could last a week.

The trial comes as Christie's approval rating in New Jersey is at record lows, and he said this month that the scandal was likely a factor in Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's decision not to nominate him as his running mate.

Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul recounted meeting Robert Durando, the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey official in charge of the bridge, in a municipal lot on the morning of September 9, 2013, as traffic engulfed the town. She and Baroni claim former Port Authority official David Wildstein orchestrated the scheme.

During his Friday testimony, Wildstein was only questioned by attorneys from the US attorney's office.

The New York Times reported that Wildstein admitted to proposing the idea to close the lanes in a guilty plea as part of a deal to cooperate with the government. Foye said he took that to mean Christie's office, which was located there.

The balance of power between NY and New Jersey with regard to the Port Authority has been repeatedly brought up by the defense.

Mowers, who now works for Trump, also testified he told Kelly about Sokolich's decision on August 12, 2013, the day before Kelly sent an email to Wildstein saying, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee".

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Former Christie Campaign Staffer Among Bridge Case Witnesses