Governor Christie Faces Criminal Charges in Bridgegate Case

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
Flickr CC via Rowan University

Earlier this year, news broke that a massive traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge was caused intentionally as part of a political scheme that ultimately implicated New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his staff. The fallout since what the media quickly dubbed “Bridgegate,” has been incredibly controversial. Was Governor Christie truly implicated in some way? Who should be held responsible for this reprehensible political conspiracy?

The Bridgegate controversy originally came to light when incriminating emails sent by Christie’s top aide, Bridget Anne Kelly, were leaked to the public. The emails suggest that the George Washington Bridge lane closures and subsequent traffic jams were orchestrated as an attempt to punish the Democratic Mayor of Fort Lee, JN Mark Sokolich. As legal analyst Kendall Coffey previously pointed out, Bridgegate investigators “started out very aggressively” in their pursuit of procuring incriminating documents such as emails, texts, and other criminal correspondence. With concrete evidence stacked against Christie’s staff, it would seem that this would be a simple case to prosecute, but its high profile nature has forced investigators and law enforcement to be incredibly thorough.

A recent development in the Bridgegate case reveals that as more evidence is compiled and analyzed, the threat to Governor Christie’s political career and future has never been more imminent.

According to recent coverage from Breitbart, new reports suggest that the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey is seeking a criminal indictment for Christie pending the results of the Bridgegate case. Reports Frances Martel, “The new report arrives via two sources speaking to Esquire who almost guarantee that a number of Port Authority officials involved in Bridgegate will be indicted, and if one of them cuts a deal with the prosecution, Christie’s career could be over.”

No matter the outcome, criminal charges of any kind will likely hinder Christie’s future political prospects. The federal investigation of Governor Christie and his staff is closing in fast, and many speculate that Christie will be forced to put all upcoming campaign plans on hold. Or, as Jason Easly writes for Politicus Usa, “Forget the Republican [Presidential] nomination, Chris Christie will be lucky to avoid federal prison.”