Scamfluencers - Bridgegate: The Phantom Tollbooth | 233

Episode Date: September 28, 2026

The Bridgegate scandal was a prime example of New Jersey political corruption at its most ridiculous. At the center was Chris Christie – the brash Republican governor riding a landslide re-election and a fast track to the White House. But when the mayor of a small town refused to endorse Christie’s re-election, someone in the governor’s orbit decided to retaliate by weaponizing traffic. Four days of gridlock on the world’s busiest bridge. Ambulances stuck in traffic. Kids late to school. And a trail of texts and emails that led straight to the governor’s office. What started as petty political payback spiraled into a full-blown scandal implicated Christie’s closest allies, tanked his presidential ambitions, and ended up before the Supreme Court.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Audible subscribers can listen to all our episodes of scam influencers ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Sarah, when I say the words New Jersey, what comes up for you? Well, great question because either it's Sopranos or Real Housewives of New Jersey. Honestly, I really want to visit New Jersey and just do the Sopranos Tour personally. Yeah, I also want to do that. I live in New York, so I was think of New Jersey as, like New York Shelbyville, which will probably get me some very angry letters later.

But I also think about, unfortunately, corruption. The Sopranos, the Mob, the Pizza Lobby. I feel like New Jersey is especially steeped in scams for whatever reason. You know, I never thought of it that way, but I guess it is kind of steeped in scams. Yeah. Well, I ask, because today we have an episode all about one particularly New Jersey scam that combines all of the state's greatest hits. An unpopular, populist governor, a poorly managed cover-up, and of course, heavy traffic.

It's Monday, September 9th, 2013, and Mark Sokolich's phone is ringing off the hook. He's the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey. He looks like the muscle in a mob movie, but he's actually a pretty chill guy. He even refers to himself as Mayor Mark to keep things casual. And right now, he's behind the wheel on his way to the office, and his phone is popping off. He can't help but feel like this week is off to a bad start. His constituents are anxious and confused, and they're looking to him for answers.

Because there's a massive traffic jam around the George Washington Bridge. The number of lanes leading to the Toll Plaza has been reduced from three to one, with no warning. That might sound like a minor inconvenience, but this bridge is the busiest in the world. More than 100,000 commuters cross at every single. single day. Shutting down just one lane would have massive effects. Two is almost catastrophic. And, to make matters worse, today is the first day of school for local kids, so you just know parents are pissed. Mayor Mark has no idea why this is happening. Or why he didn't get a heads

up. And now, he's hearing disturbing reports from emergency workers. The traffic is so bad, ambulance drivers can't take their normal routes, so 911 operators are being forced to give alternative directions on the fly. And then one of the worst calls imaginable comes through the dispatch. A four-year-old child has gone missing from school. The dispatcher relays the child's description. He was last seen wearing a yellow shirt and a blue jacket. The operator warns that traffic is a nightmare,

so the search is going to be even more difficult and time-consuming. And when it comes to a missing child, every moment counts. Luckily, he's found safe and sound, but Mayor Mark knows that he has to figure out what's going on and fix it before something truly terrible happens. I had no idea that the busiest bridge in the world would be in New Jersey. I mean, I guess it does make sense,

but it's mind-blowing that one thing can go wrong and the busiest bridge in the world can make a state collapse, basically. I know. So, Mayor Mark calls Bill Barone, the deputy executive at the Port Authority, the government entity that manages transportation infrastructure in New York and New Jersey. But he gets sent to voicemail. The next day, the lanes are still closed and Mark still hasn't gotten an answer. So he texts Bill directly, writing, quote, Help, please. It's maddening.

But Bill just ghosts him. Mark is spinning his wheels and has started to think it might actually be personal. Can you read what he told a local reporter? Yeah, he says, I've asked the port for an explanation, but they haven't responded. I thought we had a good relationship. Now I'm beginning to wonder if there's something I did wrong.

Am I being sent some sort of message? You know, I understand the mayor's kind of grasping at straws trying to figure out like why he's being shut out. But also the fact that he so quickly went to wondering if this was personal against him says so much, much about how the state is being run. Yes, exactly. And to your point, Mayor Mark is racking his brain to figure out what this could be payback for.

And all he can think of is the fact that he was reluctant to give his full support to Governor Chris Christie's reelection campaign. It's wild to even consider that the governor would stoop this low, but then again, this is New Jersey. On September 12th, the fourth day of lane closures, Mark emails Bill again. He asks him point blank if the first. the closures are punitive. When Bill continues the radio silence, Mayor Mark takes that as confirmation. He's being purposefully ignored. Mark won't give up asking questions, but it will be months before

anyone gets answers. Because this isn't just a case of miscommunication, this is a sprawling scandal that reveals the petty politics consuming New Jersey's government with implications that reach all the way to the White House. And when the truth comes to light, the people at fault will do anything to cover their asses. I'm Lauren Malloy, the host of the podcast, My Mom's Murder. For 30 years, I thought my mom died of natural causes. That's what everyone told me. That's what I believed.

Until one day, I got a phone call that changed everything. A woman claiming to be my mom's best friend told me my mother was murdered and that no one had ever investigated it. So I did what the detectives wouldn't. Pulled the threads, knocked on doors, and confronted the contradictions. And what I found, it's worse than I imagined. Something happened to my mom. Someone killed her.

And I won't stop until I find out who. The system may have given up on my mom, but I never will. Listen to my mom's murder wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all 10 episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. I'm Candice D. Long, host of the podcast, Killer Psyche. In our latest episode, we go inside the case of Lindsay Clancy, the postpartum psychosis defense, and the stunning mistrial that just reignited a national debate.

Listen to Killer Psychie on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. From Audible Originals, I'm Sachi Cole. And I'm Sarah Hagey. This is scam influencers. The word Bridgegate might sound familiar, but you may not remember all the juicy details of this early 21st century scandal. At the center of the story was Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey, and, at the time, one of the frontrunners for the presidency.

He was brash, loud, and beloved by his party. But behind the scenes, his inner circle was running a political operation built on loyalty and punishment. When a small town mayor refused to endorse Christie's re-election, someone in the governor's orbit decided to make him pay by weaponizing traffic. What started as a mysterious lane closure on the world's busiest bridge spiraled into a full-blown scandal that implicated Christie's closest allies, tanked his presidential ambitions, and ended up before the Supreme Court. And the court's ruling went far beyond poorly behaved politicos. It ended up changing how fraud is handled all over the country.

This is Bridgegate, the Phantom Toll Booth. As is so often the case, a huge multi-year scandal that impacts national policy and politics began with one nerd from New Jersey. And that nerd would be David Wildstein. It's the late 70s in suburban New Jersey. David is sitting in the dugout of a high school baseball diamond running numbers. He's got a helmet-like haircut and big, dark-rimmed glass. He looks 17 going on 45.

At a school with nearly 2,000 students, he could easily disappear in the crowd, but he's found a way to get in with the jocks. As the statistician for the baseball team, this is long before the moneyball era of sports stats. But even though David's brilliant and his stats are helping make the team one of the best in the state, players aren't exactly besties with him. One of those players is 16-year-old Chris Christie. Yes, that Chris Christie, the future New Jersey governor. Chris is a big man on campus, popular, athletic, full of bravado, the total opposite of David. David admires Chris. And Chris doesn't seem to think about David at all.

I'm sorry, Chris Christie was popular. You can't see it? No, I mean, this is coming from someone who just ends up knowing about these figures in Canada. Against your will? Against my will. Yeah. And nobody has screamed. to loser more than Chris Christie.

But I guess if I knew about him, I guess he was kind of popular. It was a different time. You know, it's high school. Yeah. Well, eventually, Chris does learn to value David because they share an interest besides baseball. Politics. While still in high school, they work on a gubernatorial campaign together. And at first, it seems like David is the one destined for public office.

He tries twice to get on local election ballots, even though he's technically too young to be on either. But nothing slows us. him down. David devotes his life to climbing the political ladder. After high school, he goes to college at George Washington University and gets a job working on a senatorial campaign. And he shows early on that he's not afraid to play dirty. Right before a debate between his Republican boss and the Democratic incumbent, David steals the Democrats jacket, so the guy has to borrow someone else's and be uncomfortable while he debates. It is such a ridiculous move, but David brags about it constantly. You know what? That is a great move. It is thinking big.

Making someone physically uncomfortable to throw them off is a pretty diabolical thing to do. Yeah, unfortunately, it's pretty smart. Well, finally, it's David's turn to take center stage. In 1987, when he's in his mid-20s, David runs for mayor in his New Jersey hometown. He speaks out against low-income housing and complains that the county government is wasting money. and that platform gets him to win. As mayor, he stalks around town hall observing people. Later, colleagues from around this time will remember him as, quote,

a political animal and a, quote, major disaster who frightened people. It might not come as a surprise then that David struggles to gain support for re-election. But he can't face the thought of losing, so he pulls out of the race. In his final speech as mayor, he vows to stay out of local politics. politics forever. He pivots to join his family's textile manufacturing business, where he holds a comfortable position as an executive for almost two decades. There is nothing in David's past that would make anyone believe that this promise would stick, and soon he'll find a new, bitchier way to make his mark on Jersey politics. It's 2004, a full 16 years after David Wildstein ended

his mayoral campaign. He's in his office and can't believe the incredible tip he just received. A source has spilled that New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevy was having an affair with a male aide. The governor is married to a woman, but the tipster says he's about to announce that he's gay and resign. This may be weird information for a textile executive to receive, but David has been living a double life. By day, he works for his family's company, and by night, he's a political gossip blogger. Wait, like, the David, we... Yes. That is so crazy. Oh my God, what a crazy guy. He's doing it for the love of the game.

Yes. I was really like, wait a second, the David we've been talking about. Yeah, literally, there's only one. That's awesome. It's kind of sick, right? You go, girl. Well, after swearing to stay out of politics, David started a political blog called Politics NJ.

He writes under the pen name Wally Edge, an homage to an early 20th century New Jersey governor of the same name. The blog is like Des Mois for New Jersey politics in the early 2000s, more interested in gossip than actual policies. He publishes anonymous tips like the one about Governor McGreevy and Breaking News, and he isn't afraid to editorialize. He especially loves stories about lawmakers being caught in a lie.

The blog quickly becomes a must-read for anyone in Jersey politics. As Wally Edge, David earns a reputation for bipartisan critique and championing the hardworking underdog. David Sources don't know he's Wally, but he still manages to get tips from high-profile insiders, including his old classmate, Chris Christie, who is now a United States attorney. Oh my God, this is so funny,

especially because it's like, this is Gossip Girl. It's literally Gossip Girl. It's Gossip Girl, and you know what? The show comes out a couple years after this, and he's probably like, I understand you gossip girl X-O-X-O-Wally Edge. Yeah, it's very gossip girl. It's amazing. It's so funny.

Well, meanwhile, Christie doesn't stay in that role for long. In 2009, after David's been blogging for nine years, Christy gets a new title, Governor of New Jersey. And Governor Christie appoints a guy named Bill Barone as Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority. Bill is 38, and he looks like politics can. Square jaw, full. whole head of hair and a slightly unsettling smile.

He also happens to be friends with David. They go way back, having both consulted for the same New Jersey congressman, and they're really tight. Bill is just one of a handful of people who know that David is Wally Edge. Now, Bill wants David to work for him. So he creates a brand new role at the Port Authority just for David, director of interstate capital projects. It's a fancy title for a job that is essentially Bill's chief of staff,

and right-hand man. Governor Christie signs off on David's hiring personally. After David announces his new gig, his secret life as Wally Edge is leaked to the press, and people are not happy that someone who spread rumors and gossip for years is now in a position of power at a major government agency. But for the Christie administration, David's fondness for political hijinks is a feature, not a bug.

Officially, his role is to help reform the Port Authority in line with the governor's goals. But unofficially, he's basically operating as the governor's enforcer at the agency. And when a small town mayor dares to defy a request from the governor, David will help make him pay. It's 2010, and Mayor Mark from Fort Lee is pulling up to drum flacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton, New Jersey. It looks like a mini white house with columns in both a west and east wing. It's been updated to add some modern touches, but it still has that creaky, floor, crystal chandelier in every room kind of vibe.

Your grandmother would call it fancy. Mark is led into a dining room, along with a few other Jersey mayors, to meet Governor Christy. As beef tenderloin is served, the governor talks to them about reducing the tax burden on their citizens. This may seem like run-of-the-mill face-time between politicians at different levels of government, but Mark knows that he is being whined and dined. Ever since the governor was inaugurated a few months earlier,

Mark has been receiving gifts from the governor's office, and they keep coming after this lunch. Seats in the governor's box at a New York Giants game, an offer to attend a taping of MSNBC's Morning Joe, a private tour of the Ground Zero Memorial for some of Mark's out-of-town relatives. Mark knows perks like these don't come for free. And sure enough, the ask eventually comes, when Christie's team starts calling Mark

and not so subtly hinting that when it comes time for re-election, they want him to publicly support the governor. Even though Christie's a Republican and Mark is a Democratic mayor in a predominantly Democratic town, Christy wants to be seen as a bipartisan guy who can work across the aisle. Mark punts the issue down the road. Christy's only been in office for a year. Who knows what things will look like in another three?

But in the summer of 2013, as Christy's re-election campaign is heating up, Mark meets with a Christy staffer at an Italian restaurant in Fort Lee. I feel like we're back in our episode about Teresa Juji J. Why does everything always happen in an Italian restaurant in New Jersey? I think because these people love drama. Like what is a better backdrop than, you know, checker tablecloth, you know, matri-D and a classic outfit, old guys around? People want everything to be like the movies, and why wouldn't you do that?

I would do that. I would have every important meeting at an Italian restaurant if I could. It's a great place to throw a glass of wine. Yes. Well, the staffer asks Mark, point blank, will he endorse Governor Christie? Mark Hems and Hawes. He knows other Democrats have started coming out to support Christy, and he's afraid that if he doesn't do the same,

he's going to really piss off the governor's office. They could retaliate by withholding state money, or worse. What Mark doesn't know is that some of his fellow Democrats caved for that exact same reason. But Mark tells a staffer that he has Democratic city counselors, the local Democratic Party chairman, and his political mentor to answer to. So it's going to be a no from him, dog.

Christie's staffer leaves, clearly frustrated. Mark hopes he didn't sabotage his relationship with the governor, but he has to stay true to his constituents and his political allies. Unfortunately for Mark, his response is about to set off a chain of events that will make his life, and the lives of Jersey commuters much, much harder. While Mayor Mark's eating Italian, Bridget Ann Kelly is working in her office

inside the New Jersey State House. If it's anything like the other rooms in the building, it's a stately space with dark wood doors, framed portraits of white male historical figures, and, of course, an American flag in the corner. Bridget is 40 years old and the governor's new deputy chief of staff. She's a blonde mom-next-door type, who has both a warm,

smile and occasional resting bitchface. She knows that important lunch is going down with Mayor Mark. So after it's done, she calls up the staffer who put the pressure on him. He tells her the mayor refused to endorse Christy. That is a problem for Bridget, because part of her job is to whip up support for Christy's re-election campaign. This is just one more thing to deal with on Bridget's already full plate. She got divorced about a year ago, and now she's getting over another rough breakup from the

governor's previous chief of staff who is currently running Christie's re-election campaign. But Bridget is a pro. She's been working as a legislative aide since the mid-90s. Her career really took off when she hitched her wagon to Chris Christie during his first campaign for governor. She worked in his field office, often with her four kids tagging along. After he got elected, she officially joined his team as deputy chief of staff. She's only been in the role for three months, but she's honored to have the opportunity. Bridget works closely with the governor who micromanages everything under his watch.

If she suggests mac and cheese for lunch, he will specify buffalo mac and cheese. He's also temperamental. At one point, he allegedly throws a bottle of water at her in a meeting out of frustration. She never knows when he's going to have a table flipping moment, but she's a single mom and a good political soldier. Plus, Christy is the kind of candidate

who could get her a job in the White House one day, So she's learned how to tread lightly around him and anticipate his needs. Yeah, I mean, I feel like this is a common story in these types of jobs where it's like, okay, I'll eat shit and have someone throw stuff at me. And as long as I'm patient, I will get that White House job. Yeah, classic difficult politician, man. While after hearing that Mayor Mark declined to endorse Christy, Bridget is furious and frustrated. There has to be some way to change the mayor's mind.

to show him why he shouldn't mess with a governor. And she knows just who to go to, one of her colleagues over at the Port Authority, David Wildstein. Like Christy, Bridget was one of David's best sources when he was writing his political blog. What Bridget and David talk about when they meet up is disputed. All we know for sure is that the next day, Bridget sends David a message,

time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee. David responds one minute later with just two words. Got it. Bridget has tunnel vision. She's focused on getting endorsements for the governor by any means necessary. And she's about to find out just how far the people around her are willing to go. Once David gets word from Bridget, he immediately goes to his boss, political Ken, Bill Barone. According to David, they've already had their own conversations about causing traffic in Fort Lee.

So when David shares Bridget's request, Bill is all ears. Like David, Bill started working on his... his first political campaign as a teenager. He was a New Jersey state senator for two years and was the only Republican who voted to allow same-sex marriage in the state. Now, Bill is the deputy executive director of the Port Authority. He's a high-ranking exec in the organization and was directly appointed by Chris Christie. Like David, his number one priority is to keep Christy happy.

So, according to David, he and Bill devise a plan. They're going to close down access lanes from Fort Lee onto. to the George Washington Bridge without any warning to the public or Fort Lee officials. It'll make life hell for anyone trying to get from New Jersey to New York, which is why it's a great plan for retribution against Fort Lee's stubborn mayor. Traffic backups will lead to some seriously pissed off citizens, and they'll blame their mayor for the issues, because why would anyone think the governor's office would be involved?

And just to be extra petty and diabolical, David and Bill decide to start the closures on September. 9th, the first day of school. They also agree, along with Bridget, to ignore any panicked calls when they inevitably come pouring in. The guys call it radio silence, and Bridgett calls it having the dead to me gene. Listen, as someone who does have the dead to me gene, even I would not do this. Can you imagine all the urgent, crazy things that people had to do and couldn't do it because they couldn't cross a bridge because these guys are petty. Yeah, they are.

This is really, really mean to do to people. And so the trio knows they need a cover story. If anyone asks, they'll say the closures are for a traffic study to assess traffic flow on the upper plaza of the bridge. To this day, Bill and Bridget claimed that this is what they truly believed and that they had no idea about David's scheming. On Monday, September 9th, just before dawn, David arrives at the Georgia's Washington Bridge. He's there to make sure his plan is put into action. He's already contacted

the bridge's general manager and some Port Authority colleagues with the order to close the lanes. He only gets a little bit of pushback from the guy in charge of the bridge, who asks if executive director Patrick Foye knows about the request. Patrick is like the final boss of the Port Authority. David lies and says yes, and that's that. The truth is, David has such a frightening reputation in the Port Authority that none of these workers are going to dare cross him. David is giddy. The king of political pranks is about to pull off his greatest one yet. While workers put out traffic cones, David goes inside the Bridges Command Center and watches a live video feed of traffic piling up.

You know, looking at the traffic jam, you could easily look at this and think, oh yeah, there was an accident and traffic was backed up, but knowing how intentional it was and how how the plan is to keep this going to send a message to a mayor. While, again, this is the busiest bridge in the world to me just shows the insignificance people have to these politicians. The importance of their lives just doesn't exist. Yeah, it feels like they no longer see any of these people as people. Later that morning, David has a court authority cop drive him around Fort Lee so he can see

the chaos on the ground. He even calls up Bridget and Bill and both. about the mess they've caused, which they're both allegedly thrilled to hear. Their plan has come together perfectly. David has come a long way from his nerdy high school days, sitting on the bench. He's always wanted to be a real political player. And now that he's in a position of power, he's wielding it to inflict maximum damage on an enemy. But he won't stay behind the scenes for long.

And when he's found out, his best laid plans will seriously backfire. On January 24th, 2023 in Duxbury, Massachusetts, Patrick Clancy called 911. He had found his wife, Lindsay, badly injured, and his three children dead and dying. What followed would become one of the most searing and complicated cases in recent memory, raising hard questions about motherhood, mental illness, and how far our justice system will go to understand what really happened. I'm Candice DeLong, host of the podcast Killer Psyche. In our latest episode, we take you inside the case of Lindsay Clancy, the postpartum psychosis defense, the courtroom battle, and the trial that just ended in a stunning mistrial. Follow Killer Psyche wherever you get your podcasts.

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Killer Psyche one week early and ad free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. You stepped out for your morning jog. Except it's not your usual morning jog. You started listening to an epic sci-fi book on Audible. 30 chapters later, you've accidentally run a half marathon. You lost track of how far you've run, somewhere just past the city limits. You can't stop.

You have to find out what happens next. Then it's over. The universe seems bigger. You feel different. You feel. Like you have no idea where you are. Audible. Stories that speak to you.

It's September 11th, 2013, and David arrives at Ground Zero for the 12th anniversary memorial ceremony. It's a somber event where the names of the victims of the attack are read out loud. In an attempt to prevent the day from being an image-making photo-op, no politicians will be speaking. supposedly David's there to pay his respects, but it also seems like he might be using the opportunity to meet up with Bill and Governor Christie over coffee and pastries in a VIP tent. At this point, the lane closures have been going on for three days,

and allegedly, David and Bill are just dying to tell Christy all about it. And when they do, again, allegedly, the governor laughs. Press are snapping photos all morning, and some believe this photo captures the conversation between the three men. Can you describe it? Oh, can I describe this? We see these three men in suits with, I guess, security behind them in sunglasses. And Chris Christie is his heads back in like a little bit of a grin and the other guys are obviously amused. And it looks like one of them just

made a pull my finger joke or something. Yeah, they look like little boys. They look like they're having a good time. Meanwhile, people in Jersey and New York are suffering. Yes. Well, actually, after the fact, Bill says that they were actually laughing about how Andrew Cuomo arrived at the 9-11 event on the back of a motorcycle with Billy Joel, which is, in all fairness, pretty funny to think about. That is really, really funny, and I'd love to see an image of that. Okay. I'll show you after the show. Need that now. Yeah. Well, what is certain is that back in the office, David, Bill, and Bridget, Christy's deputy chief of staff, are exchanging and forwarding incriminating emails at an incredible clip.

Like when David forwards Bridget a panicked email from Mayor Mark, who says that families in Fort Lee are having a really hard time getting kids to school. Bridget responds to David saying, quote, is it wrong that I'm smiling? I feel badly about the kids, I guess. But David expresses no regret and reminds Bridget that the kids' parents probably vote Democrat. Oh my God. I mean, first of all, these idiots have this in email. They are stupid. They're profoundly stupid because you can tell by this line, they feel like they're getting away with it. Like, oh, what about the kids? And the other one's like, fuck those kids. I know. I know. It's like for something so disruptive to real lives, it is amazing how much of this was playing out in Port Authority inboxes. Like, who says an email job isn't a real job? But the gridlock won't last much longer, because finally, the next day,

Patrick Foy, the executive director of the Port Authority, orders the lanes back open. He's angry he wasn't involved in the decision in the first place, and he wants answers from David about why he wasn't informed ahead of time. Unfortunately for David and crew, the lane closures are indeed going to cause blowback, but not the kind they intended. Instead of tarnishing their enemies,

it's going to jeopardize the one thing they're all obsessed with. Chris Christie's political career. It's September 14th, five days after David first shut down two lanes of traffic on the world's busiest bridge to exact petty political revenge. Wall Street Journal reporter Ted Mann is standing in the middle of another bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, along with a source from the Port Authority. They asked him to meet here, somewhere they aren't likely to be seen, because this source wants to show Ted's something.

Ted is in his early 30s, with soft brown hair and a patchy, beard. He covers transportation issues in the New York region, so he talks to people at the Port Authority all the time. But it isn't usually about a single, days-long traffic jam. The day before, the Bergen Record, a New Jersey news site, published a report that Fort Lee's mayor hadn't been warned the lanes were going to be closed, and that he couldn't get any answers from the Port Authority. Not long after that article was published, the traffic cones were picked up and all three lanes were flowing again. It's all pretty mysterious.

So when this source told Ted he had something super top secret to share, Ted said, hell yeah, let's meet. Here's how he described what happened next on the journal podcast. We went for a walk up onto the Brooklyn Bridge and he said, all right, I have something. I'm going to show it to you. You can't have it. You can't tell anyone about it. You can't write about it.

You can't reveal to anyone that you know it exists. But when I show it to you, you're going to see that there is something very interesting happening. It's an email from Patrick, David and Bill's boss, and he's pissed. In the email, he calls the closures, quote, abusive and possibly illegal and says they risked lives. It's damning. But when Ted gets back to his desk and calls the Port Authority press office, they tell him the closures were part of a planned traffic study. Nothing to see here. Okay, how can you call it a planned traffic study when no one knew about it and there were no alternative routes given or, oh yeah, we'll have it closed?

Like, it just defies all logic and the fact that they think everyone's stupid enough to accept that answer is crazy to me. Yeah, well, Ted knows it's bullshit. So he publishes a story with the headline, Bridgejams cause a mystery. And in the story, he floats the theory that Governor Chris Christie might. have ordered the closure to get back and mayor mart. Christy's office denies it, but the seeds of suspicion are planted. A couple of weeks later, Ted gets a copy of the email his source showed him on the bridge. Now he's able to publish it, proving that the story about a traffic study appears to be just that, a story, maybe even a cover-up.

Ted is on the case and his reporting is grabbing widespread attention, especially because Christy is in the final weeks of a re-election campaign. The pressure is building, and behind closed doors, David, Bill, and Bridgett are scrambling. It's the end of November, a couple of months after the lanes reopened and right after Chris Christie's re-elected governor of New Jersey. State Assemblyman John Wisniewski is reporting for duty as the head of the Assembly's Transportation Committee. John is an ambitious Democrat and a lawyer who spent the last four years investigating how Christie has used the Port Authority for political purposes. It's been an uphill climb to prove anything, and he's pretty pessimistic at this point that he'll ever make progress.

But this time, the story isn't going away. The public is demanding that John and his colleagues get to the bottom of this. Today, they're going to hear from Bill Barone, the Port Authority's deputy executive director, about what the hell happened with the bridge lane closures. So maybe, just maybe, John will uncover something more concrete to pin on Christy.

John listens closely as Bill doubles down on the cover story about the lane closures being part of a traffic study. Bill also says that his direct report, David Wildstein, was the one who made the actual order. And he admits that he should have given officials in Fort Lee, like the mayor, a heads up. But he didn't. A bit of an oops my bad situation. Bill's performance doesn't land with John. Every time John thinks they're getting somewhere, Bill interrupts the assembly's questioning and changes the subject. At one point, John even gets a bit cheeky and applauds Bill for turning the tables, calling him a masterful dancer.

John went into the day hopeful that Bill might be willing to cooperate. But he leaves thinking that something is off. He just can't quite put his finger on what it is. Dude, follow your instincts because the thing that is wrong is everything. Everything is wrong. Your instincts are correct. Nothing happening is normal. Yeah, it's all messed up.

Well, the days are ticking closer to the holiday break. On December 2nd, John tunes into a press conference where Governor Christie gets asked about the lane closures. A reporter poses a question about whether he was the one who engineered the whole thing. Here's Christy's response. I worked the cones, actually. Unbeknownst to everybody, I was actually the guy out there. I was in overalls and a hat.

But I actually was the guy working the cones. out there. You really are not serious with that question. Even if you're working under the assumption that Chris Christie had no idea what this was, that he had nothing to do with it, you know, clearly at this point, no one really knows it's going on. To speak so glibly about something that terrorized a city, basically, is such a bad look. Like, it's not taking it seriously enough to be like, oh, wow, like to speak that way, you know, with like zero concerns. or empathy, you know?

Yeah, it's not very nice. Just days later, David Wildstein resigns from his job, saying the bridge controversy has become a distraction. But then, on December 13th, just a week after David resigned, Christy announces that Bill is resigning too. He frames it as a part of a planned cabinet shuffle ahead of his second term. Again, nothing to see here.

But John keeps digging. He sends out a ton of subpoenas, including to David and Bill. And then he hits the jackpot. On December 23rd, John and his committee receive thousands of pages of documents, texts, and emails from the subpoenas, tons of which have come from David. David is pissed that no one else is fessing up to their role in the whole deal, so he wants to take them down with him. John takes a beat to enjoy the holidays, but on December 26th, what we Canadians like to call Boxing Day,

After his family has gone to bed, John retreats to his home office and starts reading. There's surely some potentially damning evidence hidden in the haystack. It's late and John feels his eyelids getting heavy. But just as he's about to call it a night, he discovers a golden nugget of evidence, the email from Bridget to David saying it's time for traffic problems in Fort Lee. John can't believe it. This is proof enough for him that this whole mess started within the governor's office. through his deputy chief of staff, Bridget.

On January 8th, as people are settling back into work after the holidays, John and his New Jersey Assembly colleagues released 2,000 pages of the text and emails they uncovered during their investigation. Local news outlets pick up the story, and now the public knows that Christy's inner circle was involved. John figures it won't be long before they hear from the governor himself. And sure enough, the next morning, John watches on TV as Christy holds a press conference at the State House. The room is packed with reporters, its standing room only. And behind the podium, Christy says he was blindsided by the released emails. He kind of apologizes, but not really.

He says he's sorry for the actions of the people on his team. This goes on for two hours. And then he delivers the final blow. He fires Bridget. Bill and David have already resigned, so Bridget is the only one left for Christy to throw under the bus. Assemblyman John is focused on his goal, unruiting corruption. But he can't help feeling satisfied while watching the governor spin out.

He can smell vindication coming. John stays glued to the coverage, which is filling countless hours on 24-hour news channels like CNN. Wolf Blitzer lands an epic interview with Mayor Mark, where he finally speaks out on being betrayed by the governor. Here, take a listen. It is the lowest, most venomous form of political retaliation. And this in a time when New Jersey needs this, like we need a hole in the head, we've now ensured that we're going to remain the butt of every political joke for the next 20 years. This kind of goes back to what we're talking about of what do you think of when you think of New Jersey. They don't get no respect. And this just makes it so much worse because also it's like the governor doing retaliation against one single mayor in a whole state.

It's just such a bad look for how New Jersey's run when there's already so many stereotypes, you know? Yeah. And it's around this point that the scandal finally gets a name. Bridgegate. And once the scandal gets a catchy name, there is no containing it. As the story spreads,

it reveals what John suspected all along that Christie's political operation is full of the rankest kind of petty, manipulative, strong-arm style bullying. At last, John thinks he has what he needs to prove the corruption at the heart of Christie's administration. It's been one week since Governor Christie's last press conference, and shit is starting to hit the fan. The New Jersey Assembly has just issued 20 additional subpoenas to people across the Port Authority, the governor's office, and Christie's campaign team.

The full force of the state government is behind this investigation. And of course, one of those subpoenas lands on David's desk. David is already cooperating with the authorities, but he's still worried he might end up in jail. At his first appearance before the Transportation Committee, he was hit with contempt of court for dodging their questions. So he knows he hasn't exactly made himself the most likable dude in New Jersey, even though he did hand over that incredible truckload of emails.

But his nerves only get worse when he learns that Bridget and Bill have also gotten subpoenas. He doesn't know what they're going to say, but they could easily throw him under the bus. So David decides to strike first. He gets in touch with a lawyer who sends an explosive letter to the port authority on David's behalf. In it, David insists there's evidence

that Governor Christie knew about the real reason for the lane closures, contrary to his official story. The governor's office immediately fires back, coming in hot the next day with a letter of their own. They blast out an email with the subject line that reads, quote, about the bombshell that's not a bombshell.

In the email, the governor's office plays down Christy's relationship with David. They say that they were never friends in high school and that David would do anything to save himself. If you got to go all the way back to high school to make a point and being like, actually, he didn't even know him. You are losing. That is not remotely even closest to the most important detail in the story, which is classic derailing and deflection being like,

so on that point of high school, they weren't friends. Oh my God, these people are so petty. Well, the governor's office is right on one account. David's number one priority is himself. In early March, he contacts New Jersey's U.S. attorney and starts talking, apparently in exchange for a deal. He confirms that the lane closures were an act of political retaliation, and he admits that he was the mastermind behind the plan.

but David's going down swinging and he is no intention of going down alone. It's March 2014 and Bridget Kelly is still feeling punch drunk from the events of the last few months. She's been fired and humiliated via press conference by Governor Christie, a man she'd sacrificed so much to work for. And then David, someone she'd trusted and worked with for years, stabbed her in the back too.

But it isn't over yet. Around the same time David decides to roll over on Bridget and Bill, Governor Christie releases a joke of an internal report. It's put together by a law firm that's very friendly to him, and it's funded by taxpayers, costing more than a million dollars, according to one expert. Bridget knew it was coming. She had declined to be interviewed for it, but she had no idea what she was in for. She reads through the highlights, and it's a doozy.

It fully throws her under the bus in the most sexist way possible. It brings up her relationship with Christy's former chief of staff. and paints her as a desperate, clingy, emotional woman who couldn't handle a breakup. The report mentions that she's an easy crier, and it claimed that she craved the approval of her male colleagues. Okay, clearly it's like sexism, but also I'm like, Bridget, how could you not think this is what it would come down to? It's such proof that as a woman you can try your best to get as close to power as possible,

but the second you're dispensable, they will just be sexist, to you and you low-key have no one to blame but yourself. Yeah, it's unfortunate but inevitable. So Bridget quickly rallies her lawyers to put out a response. They call the report venomous, sexist, and gratuitous. And she has a lot of supporters who agree, including the state senator working with John to investigate this whole mess, who told New York Magazine, quote,

they're talking about a personal relationship and they put in the report that he was the one who ended it. How do they know that? And was that done to add to the government? credence that this was some crazy woman, some woman who's no longer in control of her emotions? Bridget feels like this is history repeating itself, a tale as old as time. As the one woman in the mix, she's an easy target. With the governor's support, she maybe could have slipped away mostly unnoticed. But now, she's not the only one scrambling. Everyone in this mess is out for themselves. And sooner or later, they're all going to have to answer for what they did.

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Well, maybe a chapter longer. Performance is so good, you'll give love a second chance. Audible. Stories that speak to you. It's May 2015. David Wildstein steps into a Newark, New Jersey courtroom looking pretty put together, with tortoiseshell glasses and a well-groom salt and pepper beard. He's been cooperating behind the scene.

scenes with the feds for months, and today he's in court to plead guilty to two conspiracy charges. As part of the process, the judge asks David if he deliberately tried to punish the mayor of Fort Lee by causing traffic problems. And he replies with a simple yes. Shortly after he pleads guilty, David learns that Bridget and Bill have been indicted on nine counts of conspiracy and fraud. The U.S. attorney says the Bridgegate scheme was deliberate and illegal. But with David, Bridget and Bill all facing consequences, the U.S. Attorney says they don't plan on charging anyone else. It seems Governor Christie is off the hook.

In fact, he's so free and clear that a month later, in June 2015, Christy schedules a morning televised announcement. David tunes in from home. He watches Christy take his place in the gymnasium of his old high school, the one he and David both went to, and declare that he's running for president. Christy says that America needs strength and decision-making back in the Oval Office

and he is the one to bring it. Oh, really? You're the one. Sit down. It makes so little sense how these people move. It's like you're not in reality. Do you know what you've done? Anyway. Well, alas, throughout Christie's campaign,

the stench of Bridgegate lingers. It confirmed everyone's worst suspicions about Christy and the worst stereotypes about New Jersey government. On Fox News, Christy's opponent, Rand Paul, tries to hammer home the governor's complicity. He says it's impossible to believe Christy knew nothing about it and that it makes his judgment hard to trust. These kinds of digs seem to work

because after about seven months of campaigning and a dismal finish in the New Hampshire primary, Christy suspends his campaign. David's feelings about the governor have changed a lot since they were both in the dugout of their high school of baseball diamond. For so long, he wanted nothing more than to be like Christy. But David has always been a survivor, and his next move may cost his former colleagues everything.

It's September 2016, and Bridget arrives at the New Jersey courthouse where she and Bill are being tried together. She's wearing a matching white shirt and cardigan, her blonde hair is pinned straight, and she's clutching a black binder overflowing with documents. Today is the first time David is going to take the stand to testify against her and Bill. He's the government star of witness. There's no denying that Bridget feels betrayed by David's willingness to sing like a bird to the feds. And now she's going to have to look him in the eye while he implicates her in one of New Jersey's biggest scandals, one he orchestrated, while presumably he walks away relatively unscathed. David takes the stand with a kind of hunch shuffle and speaks in a meek voice.

He says his main job at the Port Authority was to make sure things got done, to advance the governor's agenda, and to be very aggressive. Under cross-examination, rigid watches as Bill's lawyers try to undermine David's credibility. They say he keeps changing his story, and they bring up past incidents where David was caught scheming, like when he stole that Democratic politician's jacket to make him uncomfortable. The lawyer pushes David to admit that he loved running his mouth about that story, and that he had the same attitude about the lane closures, that he got some kind of sick pleasure from pulling off dirty dealings.

Well, he did. I mean, there's very clear record, and mind you, this is Gossip Girl we're talking about. This is New Jersey Gossip Girl. So... Yeah, it really is. And Gossip Girl goes on. David's testimony goes on for eight days. And during that time, his legal team argues that the lane closures were just an extreme example

of the normal operating closures. procedures in the Christie administration. They had a pattern of rewarding and punishing smaller politicians depending on their level of support. One day, you get Giants tickets. The next day, cars are backed up in front of your house. David says he experienced that kind of quid pro quo himself. In exchange for his loyalty, the administration had hinted there could be a job for him on

Christie's presidential campaign team. David also testifies about another layer of four-dimensional chess that he and his co-conspirators were attempting with the lane closure plan. The idea was that, after all the chaos, the governor's office would be the one to reopen the lanes, making Christy look like the hero, and potentially locking in the coveted Fort Lee Mayer endorsement in the process. I feel like these people definitely overestimated how smart they are and how smart they think people would see them as, because they have this master plan to create destruction and then. fix it and then look good doing that, when it's just like so highly unplausible, how far away from reality could you possibly be? Yeah, the plan is delusional and the defense is also a little delusional too.

When Bridget takes the stand, she maintains that she and Bill thought this was all a part of legitimate government action and that David had lied to them as the mastermind of the whole scandal. She says she did go to Governor Christie for approval for the lane closure, but she said she did go to Governor Christy for approval for the lane closure. but he thought it was for a traffic study because that's also what she thought. She claims her email about causing traffic problems

in Fort Lee was simply referring to the study. After a six-week trial, Bridget and Bill are found guilty. A few months later, in March 2017, the judge sentences them both to prison. Bridget gets 18 months while Bill gets 24. A couple of months after that, Bridget hears that David's gotten a much more lenient punishment. In contrast to her and Bill,

David is only sentenced to three years of probation and $20,000 in fines and restitution. That seems deeply unfair since he admitted to being the mastermind. When Bridget reads a statement from the governor's office, she learns Christy feels mostly the same. His spokesman says that David devised the scheme and fabricated evidence of his relationship with the governor to enhance people's perception of his power, which only existed in his own mind. While it might be nice for Bridget to hear David get a light spanking from the governor, it doesn't erase how Christy treated her. And it certainly doesn't change her fate.

She's facing serious time in prison, but she's not done fighting. And when she takes her case to the Supreme Court, it's about to change things for fraudsters everywhere. Bridget and Bill make their way through the appeals process with some of the counts thrown out in 2019. Bill's time is reduced, and he starts serving his prison sentence in February of, that year. Ridget makes the media rounds flaming Christie to reporters. She feels betrayed,

and she's angry that he and the rest of his administration basically treated her like a, quote, human pinata, someone they could batter and toss out without a care about where she ended up. Here she is talking about it on CBS News. He has four children, similar ages to mine. How does he look at them and think about saying goodbye to them to go to prison? He doesn't have to. You know what, I do agree that she was kind of used this way and she feels betrayed, but I'm also very curious as to what she'd be saying if she wasn't betrayed. You know what I mean? It just seems like true, but also like you played a role in this as well, you know?

Yeah, big time. Of course she did. But in 2020, before Bridget ever puts on an orange jumpsuit, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturns both her and Bill's convictions. Justice Elena Kagan writes in the decision that while Bridget and Bill were deceptive and jeopardize the safety of Fort Lee residents, not every corrupt act by government officials is a federal crime. And because they didn't aim to obtain money or property,

they didn't violate the fraud statutes they were charged under, which define fraudulent schemes as involving bribes or kickbacks. Damn, they should have done some bribes, I guess. I mean, it really, it's so upsetting because it's like, once again, it's about these technical terms and not about the people it actually affected at all. Yeah. Like, it has nothing to do with people and everything to do with these technicalities. Yeah, exactly.

And that decision leads to a waterfall of appeals unrelated to Bridgegate. Within a year, a major insider trading conviction is overturned after citing this precedent. And some say that the lasting legacy of this case is actually the opening of a big loophole in U.S. anti-corruption law. Now, there's essentially no federal ban on a politician using their power to punish political opponents or reward allies. Getting away with political fraud just got a whole lot easier. It's just one of the many reasons why the legacy of Bridgegate never seems to die. As recently as 2025, President Trump threatened to investigate Chris Christie over the scandal. He says that the former governor got away with murder.

Sarah, how much of Bridgegate did you remember? from the last decade? I actually didn't remember a lot at all. I just remember Chris Christie kind of appearing on my radar as a non-American and knowing that he was involved in some type of corruption, but I had no idea how damaging it was, really. I guess it's still kind of up for debate in some circles how much Christy knew. Do you think he knew or do you think he just trusted his staff to do the right thing or did he trust them to do the wrong thing? To me, it's the same thing. If he was told every detail or if he just let them do what they wanted, it is still, in my opinion, his fault completely because he is the governor. These are people working under him. These are people close to him.

How could he have not known anything? Then he's a terrible leader and should never be in charge of anything again. Yeah. It doesn't really matter. It's like, yeah, you should be at fault for it, regardless of what you, quote, unquote, didn't know. It's kind of amazing that a politician as charmless and riseless as Chris Christie was able to get this much loyalty from people. They did all this stuff just because some mayor wouldn't endorse him. It's so petty. Yeah, I mean, it really is what people do for any tiny bit of power to be close to power. it kind of blows my mind thinking of how much they probably separated their own ambitions from

reality and harm and how they kind of continued to paint themselves as victims as it kept going on. I guess what I think is so interesting about this particular scam is it's small scale. It's a traffic jam. But the thing is, is these things really impact people. Like you have to think about how many complaints they got about like kids not being able to get to school. on time or if they can't do daycare drop off on time, which means that the parents then can't go to work, which means maybe they lost their jobs. Like, there are such significant ripple effects to this kind of nonsense that there are real people who live in Jersey who were really, really impacted by this and probably still think about like those couple of days when nobody could like get to work. Yeah. And for them, it's just this bullshit thing that they did. But there is a real impact on people's lives. And you know what else? If it was protest. who had shut down a bridge for two days, oh, brother, would they be charged with everything?

We all would have heard. We all would have heard. It would have been the biggest news in the world. Everyone would be demonizing these people. But again, because it's politicians, there's a bunch of little loopholes. To me, it's just, it's more of an indictment on the power politicians have over us

and how they can get away with so much. But it is so upsetting that this is just how it goes. It's just how it goes. Sarah, can I offer you a photo of Andrew Cuomo and Billy Joel during this trying time? Oh, my God, I need that. Yes, let me see. Yeah, here you go. Take a look at this.

Oh, Lord. Oh. Don't they just look like some little guys? They look like losers. I mean, first of all, Andrew Cuomo, loser for life, hate his ass. That's bipartisan. Oh, Lord, this is funny. Guys really think motorcycle is cool.

This is a real dude's rock photo. It is. They are standing around being like, hey, did you guys know dudes rock? And all you can do is say, yes, I did know. It is so crazy also because you're like, oh, you have no self-awareness. You think you look cool right now. And you revealing that you think this is cool makes you so childish and embarrassing. It's like when a kid's like, hey, look at this. And you're like, okay. You know, this particular scandal never rubbed off of Chris Christie. It kind of torpedoed his political career. He just sort of came off as petulant and petty in a way that other politicians, it seems, that they can get away with, but he couldn't.

Do you think his renewed irrelevancy on the national stage in New Jersey, is that a just punishment for him, considering that, you know, he never really got in trouble? No. It's just like, oh, no, you. can't have power anymore, but you're going to appear as a speaker and doing this, like, you know, his career as a politician who maybe wins elections over, but he's still moving and shaken. I've seen photos of him. That's true.

He's still around. He will never not be around. I think the lesson for me is you need to hate politicians more. Whatever you feel about politicians, I need you to dial that all the way up in a negative direction. Hey, this midterm season, consider hostility. Take malice into the voting booth with you this November. Make them work for you, people. Correct. Sarah, I feel like increasingly a lot of her episodes are actually about 9-11. This is another example of it. Yes, any scam that takes place in America is derailed in some way by 9-11. Yeah, either by the event of it or is somehow

bolstered by sort of the way people took advantage of it after. And this seems like the last. No, it is crazy how often 9-11 comes up in a casual context. It's either like, and then 9-11 or and then the COVID-19 pandemic. Two huge historical events. I love to live in historical times. Yes, you know, and this is just what we know. This is just what we know. Oh, Sarah, please don't talk to me about that, which I do not know.

That's not my business. Follow scamplencers on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes of scam flencers ad-free by joining Audible. For Audible originals, this is Bridgegate, the Phantom Toll booth for scamflencers. I'm Sachi Cole. And I'm Sarah Hagee. If you have a tip for us on the story that you think we should cover, please email us at scamfluencers at audible.com.

We use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were WNYC's comprehensive reporting of the Bridgegate scandal, the backstory of Chris Christie's Bridgegate scandal, scandal by Jessica Durando in USA Today. The Bridgegate trial has destroyed what was left of Chris Christie's reputation by Andrew Rice in New York Magazine and Crossing Chris Christie by Ryan Lizza in The New Yorker. Jessica Ford wrote this episode. Additional writing by us, Sachi Cole and Sarah Haggy.

Alex Burns was a story editor. Our senior producers are Sarah Annie and Ginny Bloom. Our associate producer is Charlotte Miller. Our managing producer is Desi Blaylock. Fact-checking by Gabrielle Drole. Sound designed by James Morgan. Additional audio assistance provided by Augustine Lim. Our music supervisor is Scott Falesquez for Frieson Sink.

The executive producer for Audible is Jenny Lauer Beckman. The head of creative development at Audible is Cate Naven. The head of Audible Originals, North America, is Marshall Louis. The chief content officer is Rachel Giazza. Copyright, 26 by Audible Originals LLC. Sound recording, copyright, 2026 by Audible Originals LLC.