Report Ordered by Christie Clears Him

In the for-what-it's-worth department, an internal report commissioned by the Chris Christie administration has cleared the governor of wrongdoing in the big bridge scandal, reports Reuters. "What we found was Gov. Christie had no involvement in the decision to close these lanes, and no prior knowledge of it," said Randy Mastro, the attorney who led the $1 million investigation. The general conclusion had been leaked in advance, and Democrats say that any report commissioned by the governor has no credibility anyway. As expected, it mostly blames former Christie aide Bridget Kelly and former Port Authority official David Wildstein for the traffic mess. (The Star-Ledger has key excerpts, as does the National Journal. Or dig into the full thing here.)

The New York Times highlights one part of the report in which Wildstein maintains that he told Christie about the lane closings at a 9/11 memorial, as the closings were taking place. If true, that would contradict what the governor himself has said about the scandal. But the report said Christie has no recollection of that happening. “We know that David Wildstein alleged that he spoke to the governor at a public event about the traffic issue during the week of the lane closure,” said Mastro. “The governor recalled seeing Mr. Wildstein" and having a brief conversation, "but does not recall the specifics of that conversation or the mention of any traffic issue in Fort Lee.” Meanwhile, investigations by federal prosecutors and state lawmakers continue. (More Chris Christie stories.)