Bridget Anne Kelly

Bridget Anne Kelly (née Daul) is the former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie Kelly, a New Jersey native, grew up in Ramsey and graduated from Immaculate Heart Academy in 1990.^[1] She graduated from Mount St. Mary's University in 1994 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science.^[2]

She began her government career by working as a legislative aide to Assemblyman David C. Russo, later becoming Russo's Chief of Staff.^[2][3][4] In 2010, Kelly became Director of Legislative Relations under Governor Christie and in April 2013, he appointed her to be his Deputy Chief of Staff.

Fort Lee lane closure scandal

Kelly has been indicted in the four-day closures of entrance ramps to the George Washington Bridge in the late summer of 2013, in part of what has been described as politically motivated retribution against the Mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey.^[5]

On August 13, 2013, Kelly sent an eight-word e-mail to David Wildstein, a Christie appointee to the board of commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, that read, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."^[6] Wildstein responded to Kelly's e-mail: "Got it." In a texting exchange the next day, Wildstein relayed to Kelly a text from Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich in which he complained about the traffic jam and said, "The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Please help. It's maddening." Kelly replied, "Is it wrong that I'm smiling?" ^[7]

On January 9, 2014, after the emails were disclosed, the governor announced that he had fired Kelly, calling her action "stupid" and "deceitful" and claiming her actions had caused him to mislead the public.^[8] That day, Kelly was named as a defendant in a federal class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey that cited a civil conspiracy and "willful, wanton, arbitrary, and egregious official misconduct".^[9][10] In the wake of her firing, police established no parking zones outside of Kelly's home in Ramsey to keep press and gawkers away, while "no trespassing" signs were placed on the lawn of the home.^[11]

When she received subpoenas for documents from the New Jersey legislative committee, Kelly's attorneys indicated she would not comply with the subpoenas, citing their clients' Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure^[12][13] The committee voted to compel Kelly to produce the previously requested documents, instructing special counsel Reid Schar to "take all necessary steps" to enforce the them.^[14] But Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson found no basis to force Kelly and Bill Stepien, the governor's two-time campaign manager, to comply with the subpoenas. The pair had objected to the requests, issued in January, asserting that being forced to identify and turn over records would violate their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. They called the committee's requests a fishing expedition. The Court agreed.^[15]

On May 1, 2015, Kelly was indicted on 9 charges in connection with her involvement in the scandal.,^[16] to which she pleaded not guilty. Courts have ruled that evidence provided in discovery by the US Attorney cannot be made public. Courts also ruled that all materials used to prepare so-called Mastro Report which exonerated the Christie administration must be turned over to the defense.^[17] The state has denied Kelly's request for reimbursement of legal fees.^[18]

Personal life

As of 2014, Kelly was unemployed, and a single mother with four children.^{[19][20] [21]}

References