An interim legislative report found no conclusive evidence that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was or was not aware of last year’s lane closures at the George Washington Bridge that had consumed public attention during and after his successful re-election campaign.
“Nor is there conclusive evidence as to whether Governor Christie did or did not have involvement in implementing or directing the lane closures,” the report says, according to nj.com.
It also notes, though, that the record is still incomplete, as several critical witnesses have not testified and it said that Mr. Christie’s office’s responded slowly and passively to mounting indications that harms had been inflicted on New Jersey motorists “for political rather than legitimate policy reasons.”
Mr. Christie, a possible 2016 presidential contender who helmed the Republican Governors Association during a successful midterm election season, has maintained he had no advance knowledge of the lane closures; a report commissioned by his office found much the same thing.
“The committee has finally acknowledged what we reported nine months ago - namely, that there is not a shred of evidence Governor Christie knew anything about the GWB lane realignment beforehand or that any current member of his staff was involved in that decision,” said Randy Mastro of the law firm Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, which is representing the governor’s office. “Thus, the committee’s work has simply corroborated our comprehensive investigation. And with this inquiry behind it, the governor and his office can now focus on doing what they do best - serving the public interest.”
Earlier this year, Mr. Christie fired former deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, who wrote an email to Port Authority official David Wildstein saying “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”
The report says whether or not the closures were intended as punishment for Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich’s failure to endorse Mr. Christie, “it is clear that Kelly and Wildstein were motivated in part by political concerns.”
The report also suggests Ms. Kelly might have been guilty of witness tampering, NJ Advance Media reported.
U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman is conducting a separate investigation into the incident.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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