When Kelly told Wildstein in August 2013 about her disappointment that Sokolich would not endorse Christie, Wildstein told her that the lanes could be used “to cause traffic problems in Fort Lee whenever it would be advantageous to do so,”

Baroni recommended against doing it in August “when travel was traditionally lighter and the punitive impact would be lessened,” the indictment alleges. Instead, the three chose to start it on Sept. 9, “which they knew was the first day of school for children in Fort Lee.”

“They manufactured and perpetuated a bogus cover story to cover their tracks,” he said at a press conference, “and they callously victimized the people of Fort Lee, who were just trying to get to school, go to work, or travel wherever else they needed to go.”