Another probe in New Jersey — this one ordered by the Democrats in the state legislature — has found no evidence directly linking Republican Gov. Chris Christie to the infamous lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last year.
An interim report published by the legislative panel says: “At present, there is no conclusive evidence as to whether Governor Chris Christie was or was not aware of the lane closures either in advance of their implementation or contemporaneously as they were occurring. 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 mirrors what Christie’s internal review found. In March, Christie’s own attorneys cleared the Republican governor of wrongdoing, saying they found no evidence showing the governor ordered the closings.
Randy Mastro, the lead attorney on the internal investigation, said Friday of the new legislative report: “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.”
As Christie gears up for a possible presidential run, his lawyer is emphasizing that the Republican is ready to put the issue behind him.
“Thus, the Committee’s work has simply corroborated our comprehensive investigation,” Mastro said. “And with this inquiry behind it, the Governor and his office can now focus on doing what they do best — serving the public interest.”
But Democrats in New Jersey are signaling that they are not ready to move on. These reports still haven’t identified exactly why certain members of Christie’s administration actually ordered the closings.
Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski pledged Friday “further work” as “the committee is not in a position to conclude what Governor Christie knew about the lane closures or when and how his knowledge of these events developed.”
“Our work is not finished,” the Democrats said.
A federal investigation into the lane closures continues. But over the summer, a local news outlet cited sources saying those investigators also had not found any evidence directly linking Christie to the scandal.