A nine-month federal investigation into Bridgegate — the traffic-snarling closure of lanes on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge, as apparent political retribution toward the mayor of Fort Lee — hasn't found any evidence that Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) ordered the lane closures himself or knew about them beforehand, NBC 4 reports, citing unidentified federal officials.
The Justice Department investigation is ongoing, but if the final report exculpates Christie, "that's good news for him," Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist polling organization, tells NBC. "The bad news remains that politically as chief executive it looks like he was not in control of his administration at the time when this occurred. So that remains the downside for him. That doesn't go away but this panel provides greater credibility barring any further revelations coming out."
Christie, his former aides, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are subjects of at least one ongoing New Jersey state investigation, too.