An investigation by New Jersey lawmakers found no evidence that Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) was involved in a politically motivated scheme to close traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge, The Associated Press reports.
“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,” the report says, according to the AP. “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 could help Christie turn the page on the “Bridgegate” scandal, which, at one point, threatened to kill his chances of making a run for the White House in 2016.
Still, the report said investigators are missing testimony and phone records from two central witnesses that could shed more light on the incident. The report will go before a New Jersey legislative committee for review next week.
An investigation by the Justice Department is ongoing, but an attorney for Christie says the report puts the matter to rest.“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,” Randy Mastro said in a statement.
Details of the U.S. attorney’s office investigation leaked in September and indicated that federal officials had also not discovered any ties between Christie and the lane closures.
More at The Hill