An internal review into the George Washington Bridge lane closures that will clear Gov. Chris Christie of any wrongdoing is expected to be released in the coming days, according to a published report. The New York Times is reporting the governor’s internal review of the so-called Bridgegate controversy by the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher indicate there’s no evidence Christie was involved in the plotting or directing of the lane closings, according to the report.
Mastro’s law firm was paid $1 million in legal fees to conduct the audit. While they pointed out that they had unlimited access to files and phones records, and that they were able to conduct at least 70 interviews with various people in the Governor’s office and administration, they did not speak with either Bridget Kelly or David Wildstein, the two most central figures in this scandal. Another person who was not interviewed was Christie’s former aide and campaign manager, Bill Stephen.
The fact that this review was conducted by a man who is a close ally of Rudy Giuliani will lead to much skepticism and criticism. Also, Mastro’s law firm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, has done work for Christie in the past. This leads one to wonder how impartial this review really was. On top of that, New Jersey taxpayers are the ones forced to foot the bill for the Governor’s internal review.
Agencies/Canadajournal