TRENTON, N.J. _ Bill Stepien, Gov. Christie's former campaign manager who a prosecution witness testified knew in advance of the politically motivated lane closures at the George Washington Bridge, will serve as White House political director in the Trump administration.
Stepien will also be deputy assistant to the president, the Trump transition team announced Wednesday.
Stepien was neither charged in the bridge case nor called to testify, but he was still one of the key players during six weeks of testimony in the criminal trial of former Christie aides Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni.
A federal jury in November found Kelly and Baroni guilty of seven felony counts each, including conspiring to intentionally misuse the resources of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Prosecutors accused Kelly and Baroni of conspiring with former Port Authority official David Wildstein to close local access lanes in Fort Lee to the bridge in September 2013 in order to punish the town's mayor for his refusal to endorse Christie's re-election campaign that year.
Wildstein, who pleaded guilty in the case and cooperated with the government, testified during the trial that he informed Stepien about the plot in advance.
"Mr. Stepien asked about what story are we going to use," Wildstein told jurors in September. "I explained to Mr. Stepien that I was going to create the cover of a traffic study."
Stepien's attorney has rejected those allegations.
Stepien joined Donald Trump's campaign in August.
