Bill Stepien

Last updated

On January 9, two days after nominating Stepien for the chairmanship of the New Jersey Republican Party, Christie announced that he had "lost my confidence in Bill's judgment," and he asked Stepien to withdraw his name from consideration. [15] The turnaround was a result of Stepien's work on Christie's re-election campaign, where he became embroiled in the Fort Lee lane closure scandal to the George Washington Bridge. This was enacted by Christie's staff as political retribution toward Mark Sokolich (D) the Mayor of Fort Lee, NJ for his failure to support Christie’s campaign. The closure of the Fort Lee bridge entrance caused massive delays and gridlock in New Jersey traffic including that from Fort Lee. Bridget Anne Kelly (R) Deputy Chief of Staff for Christie and romantically involved with Stepien, Bill Baroni (R) Appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and David Wildstein (R) Appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were all found guilty. Stepien was fired.

In the trial in September 2016 about the lanes closures, federal prosecution witness David Wildstein said that Stepien was aware of the lane closures as they were happening. [16] [17]

They eventually discovered that Stepien was also in a romantic relationship with Bridget Kelly, his replacement as Christie's deputy chief of staff. Their relationship lasted until August 2013, as the plan to close the lanes was being implemented. [18] Though their personal relationship was over, Stepien was kept abreast of the lane closures and the intended fallout. It was the emails between Stepien and those involved in the lane closures that sealed his fate. Christie said, "I was disturbed by the tone and behavior and attitude of callous indifference that was displayed in the emails by my former campaign manager, Bill Stepien." [19]

Stepien then received a subpoena to submit documents to the New Jersey Legislature panel investigating the lane closures. In a 19-page letter sent to Reid Schar, Special Counsel to the joint Senate and Assembly committee, Stepien's lawyer cited Stepien’s Fifth Amendment privilege against compelled self-incrimination, noting that in addition to the legislative probe, a federal criminal inquiry into the lane closures was also underway. [20] [21]

Judge Jacobson of the New Jersey Superior Court ruled that Stepien was not required to comply with the legislative subpoenas to produce documents since they were written too broadly, and he was also protected under the Fifth Amendment. [22] In May his lawyer also contended that a report produced on behalf of the Governor's Office misrepresented his client. [23] [24]

Two months after being fired, Stepien made a "soft landing" at the data and phone bank giant FLS Connect, which hired him to work on sales and strategy. [25] [26]

Nassau Strategies

Stepien's firm, Nassau Strategies LLC, is based out of a residential home on Knob Hill Road in Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey. The firm benefited from Christie's chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association, as did many other New Jersey-based consulting firms. In December 2013, the RGA paid Stepien's firm $15,000, just a month before Christie cut ties with Stepien. [27] On December 8, 2014, GOPAC made a retainer payment of $6,000 to Nassau Strategies for political strategy consulting. [28] [29] [30]

Trump's campaign and administration

In August 2016 Stepien was hired to work for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. [31] [32] [2] Stepien was named the White House political director on January 20, 2017. [33] In December 2018, Stepien and White House Director of Public Liaison Justin Clark were named Senior Political Advisors to the President's re-election campaign focusing on delegate and party organization. [34]

In 2019, Stepien, along with Trump, worked to convince New Jersey Democratic congressman Jeff Van Drew to switch to the Republican Party during the first impeachment of Donald Trump. [35] In December 2019, Van Drew hired Stepien as an adviser to his 2020 re-election campaign. [36] On July 15, 2020, Trump announced Stepien's promotion to campaign manager for Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, replacing Brad Parscale. [37]

On October 2, 2020, it was reported that Stepien had tested positive for COVID-19. [38]

Post-2020 career

After the 2020 election, Stepien, along with two former members of the Trump 2020 presidential campaign, Justin Clark and Nick Trainer, formed a political consultancy firm, National Public Affairs. [39] [40] As of June 2022, they were managing the campaign of Harriet Hageman, a Republican running against Representative Liz Cheney in 2022. [41]

January 6 hearings

On June 13, 2022, Stepien was scheduled to testify in front of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Capitol Attack, but said he was unable to appear because his wife was in labor. [42] [43]

See also

Related Research Articles

William E. Baroni Jr. is an American Republican Party politician and law professor. He represented the 14th legislative district in the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly. In 2010, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie named Baroni to serve as the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wisniewski</span> American politician (born 1962)

John Scott Wisniewski is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1996 to 2018, where he represented the 19th Legislative District. He was a Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey in the 2017 election, he lost in the primary election to Phil Murphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Christie</span> American politician and lawyer (born 1962)

Christopher James Christie is an American politician, lawyer, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he was the United States Attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008. He is a candidate for president of the United States in the 2024 Republican primaries.

Mike Andrew DuHaime, a Republican strategist and public affairs executive, is a managing director at Mercury Public Affairs, LLC, a national public affairs firm. He was the chief strategist for the successful campaign of former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie for Governor of New Jersey in 2009. Christie unseated the incumbent, Democrat Jon Corzine, by nearly 87,000 votes. He served as one of ten members of Gov. Christie's transition team and was the chairman of the authorities subcommittee.

William "Pat" Schuber is an American Republican Party politician who served as Mayor of Bogota, represented the 38th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly and served 12 years as the Bergen County Executive

David Samson is an American lawyer who served as New Jersey Attorney General under Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey from 2002 to 2003. He served as the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) from 2011 until his resignation on March 28, 2014 in the aftermath of the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. Samson is a partner and founding member of the law firm Wolff & Samson from which he resigned in April 2015, and had been an ally of Governor Chris Christie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governorship of Chris Christie</span>

Chris Christie took office as the 55th Governor of New Jersey on January 19, 2010, and began his second term on January 21, 2014, and left office on January 16, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lee lane closure scandal</span> Scandal involving the closure of lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge

The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal or Bridgegate, was a political scandal involving a staff member and political appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie colluding to create traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey, by closing lanes at the main toll plaza for the upper level of the George Washington Bridge.

David Wildstein is an American businessman, Republican Party politician, political blogger, and the founder of the New Jersey political news website Politicker Network. A former mayor of Livingston, New Jersey, he served as a senior official in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey during the administration of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie until 2013, when Wildstein resigned in the midst of a scandal involving traffic lanes closures. On May 1, 2015, he pleaded guilty to two federal felony counts of conspiracy as part of a plea agreement, but his conviction was later overturned.

Bridget Anne Kelly is the former deputy chief of staff to the Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, known for her participation in the Bridgegate scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regina Egea</span> American politician

Regina M. Egea served as the Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie. She was appointed in December 2013 and resigned in April 2016. She is the president of Garden State Initiative, a public policy think tank based in Morristown, New Jersey, which was founded in 2017.

Philip Kwon is deputy counsel for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a previous nominee for the New Jersey Supreme Court.

The 2016 presidential campaign of Chris Christie, the 55th Governor of New Jersey, began on June 30, 2015, at an event in his hometown of Livingston, New Jersey. Following a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary, the campaign was suspended on February 10, 2016. He endorsed Donald Trump on February 26, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Porrino</span> American politician

Christopher S. Porrino is an American trial lawyer who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 2016 to 2018. Porrino is currently a partner of Lowenstein Sandler, and chair of the firm's Litigation Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Parscale</span> Former campaign manager for Donald Trump (born 1976)

Brad Parscale is an American digital consultant and political advisor who served as the senior adviser for data and digital operations for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign. He previously served as the digital media director for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and as campaign manager for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign from February 2018 to July 2020, being replaced by Bill Stepien. In September 2020, he stepped away from his company and the Trump campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin R. Clark</span> American lawyer (born 1975)

Justin Reilly "JC" Clark is an American attorney, former government official, and former presidential campaign official for Donald J. Trump. He served as Director of Public Liaison and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House under the Trump administration. Prior to his government service, Clark was a partner at the law firm of Davis, Clark & Bonafonte LLC.

Kelly v. United States, 590 U.S. ___ (2020), was a United States Supreme Court case involving the 2013 Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as "Bridgegate". The case centered on whether Bridget Anne Kelly, the chief of staff to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who was running for reelection at the time, and Bill Baroni, the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, improperly used lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to create traffic jams as a means of retaliation against Mark Sokolich, the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey, when he refused to support Christie's reelection campaign. While lower courts had convicted Kelly and Baroni on federal fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions in its May 2020 ruling, stating that such charges could not apply as "the scheme here did not aim to obtain money or property", and remanded their cases back to the lower courts.

Susan Summerall Wiles is an American political consultant who currently serves as a senior advisor on Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Described as "the most powerful Republican you don't know" by The Hill, Wiles was credited with helping to secure Trump's victories in Florida in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Christie 2024 presidential campaign</span> 2024 presidential campaign

The 2024 presidential campaign of Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, was formally launched on June 6, 2023, at an event in Manchester, New Hampshire. He is seeking the Republican Party nomination in its 2024 presidential primaries.

References

  1. ↑ "Trump Demotes Brad Parscale, His Campaign Manager". The New York Times. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Johnson, Brent, and Susan K. Livio, "7 things to know about new Trump advisor jettisoned by Christie after Bridgegate", NJ.com , August 27, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ Gold, Matea; Costa, Robert (January 10, 2014). "Firing of Stepien deprives Christie of a key counselor". The Washington Post.
  4. ↑ Matt Katz and Andrea Bernstein (December 16, 2016). "Fired After Bridgegate. Hired by Trump White House?".
  5. ↑ "Stepien's Challenge: Morris County Native In The Spotlight As Trump's Campaign Manager". Insider NJ. July 16, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  6. ↑ Corasaniti, Nick; Saul, Stephanie (July 16, 2020). "Bill Stepien Takes Helm of Trump Campaign as a Data-Obsessed Political Fighter". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Two New Jerseyans play key role in Chafee win". Politicker NJ. September 13, 2006. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  8. ↑ Martin, Jonathan (April 10, 2008). "McCain finalizing regional team". Politico.Com. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  9. ↑ Oinounou, Mosheh (July 10, 2008). "McCain Taps Former Giuliani Staffer as Field Director". FOXNews.com. Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on July 11, 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  10. ↑ Burton, Cynthia. "GOP's Christie Joins Lonegan on Radio", The Inquirer, March 24, 2009. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Christie names four top aides who will help him get job done". NJ.com. December 4, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ Isherwood, Darryl. "Stepien to take over as Christie campaign manager", PolitickerNJ, April 29, 2013. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ Chris Christie aide tied to 'Bridgegate' is a longtime government worker", New Jersey Star-Ledger, January 8, 2014. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Chris Christie campaign manager tapped to lead N.J. Republican party". NJ.com. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  15. ↑ "WSJ Live Blog: Christie Addresses Bridge Controversy – Metropolis – WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. September 12, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ Mason, Melanie, "'Bridgegate' witness implicates top Trump staffer in plan to snarl traffic", Los Angeles Times , September 26, 2016.
  17. ↑ Racioppi, Dustin, "Bridgegate Trial: Former top Christie aide Stepien accused of knowing about lane closure plan", NorthJersey.com , September 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ Logiurato, Brett. "Report Claims Two Key Players In Bridgegate Scandal Were Involved In A 'Personal Relationship', Business Insider , March 27, 2014. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  19. ↑ Pillets, Jeff, and Melissa Hayes. "Two sides of former Christie campaign guru Bill Stepien: Highly effective but personally abrasive, NorthJersey.com, January 18, 2014. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  20. ↑ Grant, Jason (January 31, 2014). "Bill Stepien's lawyer objects to legislative subpoena in bridge scandal, requests its withdrawal". The Star-Ledger . Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Attorney says longtime Christie adviser Bill Stepien will invoke Fifth Amendment". The Washington Post. January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  22. ↑ Boburg, Shawn (April 9, 2014). "Judge: Christie ex-aides Kelly, Stepien can withhold documents in GWB probe". The Record. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Attorney for Christie campaign manager demands retraction on GWB report". May 15, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Stepien's attorney says new Christie bridge scandal report bolsters client's claims". March 28, 2014.
  25. ↑ Vogel, Ken. "Ex-Chris Christie aide lands at GOP firm", Politico , March 8, 2014. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  26. ↑ Berkley, Sheila. "Statement from FLS Connect Partner and President Sheila Berkley, FLS Connect, March 18, 2014. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  27. ↑ Haddon, Heather. "Christie Aims GOP Work at N.J. Firms, The Wall Street Journal , August 21, 2014. Accessed: May 2, 2015.
  28. ↑ IRS, "Form 8872: Political Organization Report of Contributions and Expenditures", GOPAC Inc, December 31, 2014.
  29. ↑ Friedman, Matt (September 2, 2014). "Bridge scandal: Former Christie aide Bill Stepien is working for Republicans again". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  30. ↑ Friedman, Matt (May 18, 2014). "National group gives NJ contractors a new way to influence elections". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  31. ↑ Haberman, Maggie, and Kate Zernike, "Donald Trump’s Campaign Hires Ex-Christie Aide to Bolster Political Operation", The New York Times, August 26, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Is this a reason exiled Christie campaign manager is working for Trump? | The Auditor", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2, 2016.
  33. ↑ Zernike, Kate, and Patrick McGeehan, "‘Abandoned’ in New Jersey, Chris Christie Returns to a Changed Landscape", The New York Times, December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  34. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (January 7, 2019). "Trump campaign moves to stave off mayhem at 2020 convention". Politico. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  35. ↑ Jacobs, Ben (December 23, 2019). "Why New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew Ditched the Democrats and Sided With Trump". New York Magazine. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  36. ↑ Salant, Jonathan D. (December 27, 2019). "He helped elect Christie and Trump. Now Bill Stepien is trying to return Van Drew to Congress". NJ.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Trump shakes up campaign team, replaces manager with N.J. political operative". NJ.com. July 16, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  38. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (October 2, 2020). "Trump campaign manager tests positive for Covid-19". POLITICO. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  39. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (December 22, 2020). "Top Trump brass launch campaign firm". POLITICO. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  40. ↑ "National Public Affairs | Political Campaign Professionals & Consulting". National Public Affairs. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Trump aides flock to Cheney challenger's campaign". POLITICO. September 10, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Jan. 6 panel says Trump campaign chief Bill Stepien unable to testify 'due to family emergency'". news.yahoo.com. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  43. ↑ Gonzalez, Oriana (June 13, 2022). "Ex-Trump campaign manager pulls out of Jan. 6 hearing". Axios. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
Bill Stepien
Bill Stepien.jpg
Stepien in 2022
White House Director of Political Affairs
In office
January 20, 2017 –December 7, 2018
Political offices
Preceded by White House Director of Political Affairs
2017–2018		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.