GOP: Democrats' Christie Probe Might Violate Law
By Cleve Bryan
TRENTON, NJ (CBS) – There was strong Republican backlash Monday as the Democrat-led committee investigating the George Washington Bridge scandal released a preliminary report.
"What we've learned from testimony and documents so far is disturbing and should be disturbing to every member of this committee," says NJ Senator Loretta Weinberg (D), co-chair of the committee.
The report composed by legal counsel for the committee can be found here along with a minority report from Republicans.
The interim report gives a chronology of documents and testimony subpoenaed by the committee. It claims that because of an inability to interview key witnesses, there remains an incomplete knowledge about the plot to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee, NJ last year by closing access lanes to the GWB.
Democrats say the investigation isn't complete and doesn't clear the Governor or current members of his staff of wrongdoing.
"It's clear that the Governor's Office showed a curious lack of curiosity," says Weinberg.
Republicans say the minority report outlines inappropriate actions by members of the committee and the report is being turned over to the state Attorney General's Office to see if any laws were broken.
When told that report was not up for discussion at a committee hearing Monday, NJ Senator Kevin O'Toole (R) became irate.
"After being kept in the closet for 11 months, you now want to say I can't say what I have prepared to say. This isn't North Korea John, this is America," said O'Toole to co-chair John Wisniewski.
In response to the report, Governor Christie's office referred media to a statement from attorney Randy Mastro which says:
"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."
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