Inquiry Commissioned by Christie Finds No Dirt on Christie

An internal review set to be released this week will announce that it has not uncovered any evidence that Christie himself was involved in the lane closings.

Back in January, at the height of Chris Christie’s embarrassing bridge scandal, Chris Christie hired a law firm to conduct a thorough review of exactly what happened. That review, set to be released this week, will announce that it has not uncovered any evidence that Christie himself was involved in the lane closings.

The report, as The New York Times puts it, will almost certainly receive criticism for a few reasons. The firm that conducted it, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, has previous ties to the administration, and three important actors in the scandal, including former deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, did not participate.

The lead lawyer on the team, Randy Mastro, defended the reports credibility to the Times, claiming there was no incentive to gloss over the scandal. Christie himself handed over access to his iPhone and telephone records as well as his government and private email accounts.

The internal inquiry is also coming under the gun for its cost. The research and interviews with more than 70 people have already cost the state more than a million dollars. Mastro’s firm charges a rate of $650 an hour. Some New Jersey residents have criticized the governor for using public funds for what they described as a damage control operation.