Committee’s Attempt to Impale Christie Fails

How many more times do we have to hear from the functionally neutered New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation that its job is not yet over?
   

Christie listens intently at Jan. 2014 press conference.(Bergeron Screen Shot.)

This group of head-hunting politicians directed by Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, issued a press release yesterday which added nothing new to what already has been reported ad nauseam by the press in hundreds, if not thousands of newspaper columns, as well as in the digital media concerning the Bridgegate “scandal.”

The committee’s report, which will be officially released on Monday, reluctantly clears Governor Chris Christie of any premeditated actions, prior knowledge of, or complicity in those now infamous four-day lane closings leading to the George Washington Bridge.

Yet, this partisan legislative panel refuses to give up its quixotic quest.  Wow!  What a revelation

In a prior blog post about this strung-out investigation, I wrote that “There is no there, there,” a statement which still holds, unless – as I also stated – the U.S. Attorney for the State of New Jersey, Paul Fishman, finds a basis for criminal action based on his own, yet-to-be-released findings.

The 130-page report which the select committee’s press release claims was prematurely leaked to the press “without authorization” clearly states that “there is no conclusive evidence as to whether Gov. Christie was or was not aware of the lane closures in advance of their implementation or contemporaneously as they were occurring . . . nor is there conclusive evidence as to whether Governor Christie did or did not have involvement in implementing or directing the lane closures.”

The foregoing quotation appeared in a front-page story in yesterday’s print edition of The Star-Ledger, under a heading which read, “Christie aide may have violated law, report says.”

Christie explains his view of Bridgegate. (Bergeron TV Screen Shot.)

  
That header was a weak feint at clarity by a Star-Ledger headline writer or editor who camouflaged the true content of Steve Strunsky’s well-written report, the factual topic of which is that the Wisniewski & Weinberg committee has failed to provide verifiable evidence in support of allegations of wrongdoing by Governor Chris Christie.

This morning, in accordance with good journalistic practice, the title of Strunsky’s story was revised on the Web to read, “Christie bridge scandal report cannot determine if governor was involved.”  To some anonymous editor, thank you!

Below are some of the excuses presented by the Wisniewski & Weinberg team for not delivering the goods:
 
“We were not able to interview key players due to the ongoing U.S. Attorney investigation into the Christie Administration and our decision not to provide any witnesses with immunity” because, . . . .

. . . . .  according to  the select committee’s press release, “Providing immunity would have allowed us to interview individuals with more direct knowledge of what occurred, but would also have sheltered them from charges related to any illegal conduct the U.S. Attorney found.”

Well, boo-hoo!  That’s what you get when there is no there, there.

(Click on any image for an enhanced view.)