Christie Accused of Revealing Grand Jury Info

N.J. Chris Christie is still mulling a presidential run, but he’s still plagued by fallout from the Bridgegate scandal. The latest problem? An accusation he violated grand jury secrecy rules.

The accusation comes from David Wildstein, a central figure in the Bridgegate scandal. The New York Times reports: “Mr. Wildstein’s statement, in a civil case separate from the federal prosecution in the bridge case, offers the first insider confirmation of a long-rumored tale of New Jersey political corruption, and places Mr. Christie at the center of it. It also portrays the governor, a former United States attorney, casually revealing information about a grand jury proceeding he had overseen, which violates federal law.”

According to Wildstein, the breaking of grand jury secrecy happened when Christie convened some of his senior staffers and ordered the firing of Arthur Cifelli, who held the double titles of deputy superintendent of the Port Authority Police Department and deputy director of security, in order to make room for another New Jersey figure whose political seat Christie wanted open for Republicans.

The Times reports:

The governor, according to the statement, told the others that he “would not have Cifelli working for his administration” and that Mr. Cifelli had perjured himself during the grand jury proceedings related to John Lynch, a former State Senate president who had been one of the most influential Democrats in the state.

Under federal law, prosecutors may not identify people who have testified before the grand jury except in extremely limited circumstances, generally restricted to other law enforcement entities or proceedings.

Christie, meanwhile, is expected to decide on a presidential run this month.