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Report: Federal 'Bridgegate' probe finds no evidence against Gov. Christie

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called the state legislative investigation into the "Bridgegate" scandal a "partisan pursuit."

By Frances Burns
Federal prosecutors have found no evidence Gov. Chris Christie was directly involved in what became known as the "Bridgegate" scandal, a news report said. UPI/Denis Van Tine
Federal prosecutors have found no evidence Gov. Chris Christie was directly involved in what became known as the "Bridgegate" scandal, a news report said. UPI/Denis Van Tine | License Photo

TRENTON, N.J., Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors have found no evidence New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was directly involved in what became known as the "Bridgegate" scandal, a news report said.

WNBC-TV in New York, citing unnamed federal officials, reported Thursday that the investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark, N.J., is close to ending its investigation. They said no evidence has surfaced that Christie ordered the lane closings that caused four days of traffic jams in Fort Lee, N.J., in September 2013 or knew about them before the fact.

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The closings were allegedly retaliation against Fort Lee's Democratic mayor, who had refused to endorse the Republican Christie for re-election. Bridget Anne Kelly, then Chriistie's deputy chief of staff, sent an email to David Wildstein, a Christie appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, saying "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said the "investigation is not over." Christie, speaking on his weekly radio show, was noncommittal, saying he was "grateful" if the NBC report is accurate.

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Earlier Thursday, Christie angrily accused the state legislative committee investigating Bridgegate of playing politics. The Democrats have a majority in the New Jersey legislature.

"It's not lost on me that I travel to Mexico and then interview memos are leaked," Christie said. "I've known all along that this has been a partisan pursuit ... and the leaking that's being done by the legislative committee is just further evidence to the fact that this is a partisan pursuit."

Christie said the committee should finish its work.

The governor also hired a law firm to conduct a review of the scandal at a cost of millions of dollars. The firm's report cleared Christie of any wrongdoing.

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