David Wildstein, a former ally of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is set to plead guilty this week, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, suggesting he may be cooperating with prosecutors probing traffic jams he ordered near the George Washington Bridge.
Wildstein is scheduled to appear Friday in federal court in Newark, where grand jurors have heard testimony in secret for months about gridlock over four mornings in Fort Lee, New Jersey, according to the person, who requested anonymity because the matter isn’t public.
He would plead guilty to a charging document known as a criminal information, the person said. It was unclear what the specific charges would be in the plea. The plea was originally scheduled for Thursday, the person said.
And why that's a problem for Christie:
Christie has denied knowledge of a plot to close two of the three local-access lanes to the world’s busiest bridge, which is run by the Port Authority. If Wildstein pleads guilty and cooperates with prosecutors, he could give them an inside view of how the plot unfolded.
Wildstein's lawyer has said in the past that "evidence exists" that proves Christie knew of the bridge closure plot at the time it was happening.
Christie said on the campaign trail tonight he's not "in the least bit concerned" about the Bridgegate investigation.
If he's not, then he's in some serious denial.
If Wildstein pleads guilty and cooperates with prosecutors, watch some of the other players in the investigation look to make their own deals with the feds before all the good deals are gone.
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