Bridget Anne Kelly now faces 13 months behind bars for her role in the Bridgegate scheme that marred the second term of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Kelly’s sentence was reduced from 18 months after a federal appeals court threw out several of the charges against her and her co-defendant, Bill Baroni.
Outside the federal courthouse in Newark Wednesday, the former deputy chief of staff to Christie blasted her former boss, calling him a bully.
“Just because someone has the title of governor, doesn’t give them the right to mislead others,” Kelly said. “It’s dishonorable, and it only shows that person for the coward he is.”
Christie has denied knowing about the scheme and was never charged.
Claiming that she was one of the scapegoats in Bridgegate, Kelly vowed to set the record straight on Bridgegate — and Christie’s role in it — in the future.
“The days of you calling me a liar and destroying my life are over. The truth will be heard, and for the former governor, that truth will be inescapable, regardless of lucrative television deals or even future campaigns,” she said. “I plan to make sure of that.”
Kelly and Baroni were found guilty in 2016 of causing traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge in an act of political revenge against a mayor who had not endorsed Christie for re-election.
Kelly will appeal her conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Baroni recently began serving his 18-month prison term.