Report to Exonerate Christie; Dems: It’s Incomplete

An initial report of the traffic jam caused by aides to Gov. Chris Christie as political payback will exonerate the Republican governor, according to media reports.

However, a Democrat heading a New Jersey legislative panel said that Christie’s lawyers cannot credibly review the incident because they are missing information from key players. The lack of cooperation from ex-aides Bridget Kelly and Bill Stepien, Christie’s two-time campaign manager, raises questions about the thoroughness of the report due out soon, Assemblyman John Wisinewski said.

The New York Times reported Monday that the review will show that Christie, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, was not involved in the planning or execution of the blocking of traffic in Fort Lee, apparently to punish the town’s mayor for not endorsing him. Five people close to Christie have lost their jobs in the scandal that threatens his future political plans.

Randy Mastro, the lawyer hired by Christie to lead the review, said the governor handed over his iPhone and permitted his email accounts to be searched.

It was unclear when the actual findings will be released. And it is doubtful the results will impact separate investigations by the U.S. attorney’s office and the joint legislative panel.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the March 25th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.