Jared Kushner allegedly praised David Wildstein a day after he resigned from the Port Authority over his role in the Bridgegate scandal.
On day 5 of the Bridgegate trial, defense attorney Michael Baldassare mentioned an email allegedly sent from Kushner to Wildstein on December 7, 2013 in which he congratulates Wildstein for “the move you pulled.” The content of the email wasn’t revealed, but the attorney said it showed Wildstein “made some admissions” to Kushner. “The truth is, judge, this is what this man thrives for. People like that calling him a badass,” he added.
Wildstein, who served as a Port Authority senior official until late 2013, last year pleaded guilty to two counts of federal conspiracy over his role in closing bridge lanes to Fort Lee, New Jersey, in an act of political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.
Wildstein is the founder and first editor of PoliticsNJ (now PolitickerNJ), a New Jersey blog run by Kushner’s Observer Media. Kushner is on the witness list and could also testify in the trial. Former employees of the Observer told New York magazine that in 2009 the mission of the site was to “destroy Chris Christie.”
Formerly a Democrat, Kushner has recently taken an active role in his father-in-law Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. [NYP] — Konrad Putzier