Christie Crime Digest-Volume IV

[malaise]

94. U.S. Attorney portrays Baroni as 'attack dog' for Christie

http://www.northjersey.com/news/bridgegate-trial-u-s-attorney-portrays-baroni-as-attack-dog-for-christie-1.1678851

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The danger of putting a defendant on the witness stand was on full display Tuesday as a prosecutor took a no-holds-barred approach to questioning the actions of a former ally of Governor Christie before, during and after the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal.

Under four hours of aggressive cross-examination from Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Cortes, Bill Baroni, the former deputy director of the Port Authority, alternated between expressing remorse for not having done more to expose the true nature of the lane closures and stating that he acted as best he could given the pressures put upon him by the Christie Administration.

As U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman looked on from the back of the courtroom, Baroni answered a barrage of questions that created an unflattering image of his character and poked holes in his version of events. Many questions seeking “yes” or “no” answers elicited lengthy explanations from Baroni, drawing frequent rebukes and cutting comments from Cortes.

“Mr. Baroni, if I want an explanation I will ask for one,” Cortes said at one point.