Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP attorney Randy Mastro yesterday declined a request by lawmakers to turn over notes taken during the interviews of over 70 witnesses that supported an internal report conclusion that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has no knowledge about the lane closures near the George Washington Bridge. Bloomberg said that the internal probe was ordered no less than the New Jersey governor himself, and had allowed the firm to have access to his office and his phone call data to determine his involvement in the lane closings.
The report, said Bloomberg, pointed solely to Christie's ex-aide, Bridget Anne Kelly, and a former ally David Wildstein as the masterminds that created a four-day traffic jam in Fort Lee. Moreover, the report said the motive behind the intentional traffic jams was to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for undetermined ulterior reasons.
Two of the members of the investigative panel aired their criticism about the report, and have asked Gibson Dunn to turn over papers that document the law firm's interviews, Bloomberg said.
In a statement released through Christie's office, Mastro said, "The Governor's Office is fully cooperating with the US Attorney Office's investigation, and in that regard, has not publicly released accounts of interviews conducted in connection with the Gibson Dunn investigation. If the Joint Committee chooses to issue further subpoenas, the governor's office will review and respond to them at that time."
Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is one of the two outspoken critics of the Gibson Dunn report, said that the Joint Committee will be issuing a subpoena for the release of the documents. Telling Bloomberg, he said Christie has done a full 360 regarding his initial promise on the 'Bridgegate' scandal.
"This is a marked difference from what the governor said in January, when he said he would cooperate fully. The governor may be satisfied that the Gibson Dunn report accomplished what he wanted, but we still have to see a transcript or even a summary of a transcript to see what was said, and not through the filter of Randy Mastro," Wisniewski added.
