The newly public report clearing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) in the George Washington Bridget lane closing scandal contains “venomous, gratuitous, and inappropriate sexist remarks,” according to a lawyer representing former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly.
Kelly’s attorney, Michael Critchley, issued a statement Friday responding to a report released Thursday by a legal team representing Christie’s office. The report pinned the blame for the lane closures on Kelly and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive David Wildstein who, according to the report, “knowingly participated” in the plan “at least in part, for some ulterior motive to target [Fort Lee, N.J. Mayor Mark Sokolich.]” The legal team that conducted the investigation did not interview Kelly, Wildstein, and several other key figures in the scandal — a fact that Critchley noted in his statement
“Without reviewing all pertinent evidence, any conclusions that are to be drawn are by definition incomplete,” Critchley said. Critchley then alluded to the report’s various mentions of Kelly’s emotional state, and her brief relationship with Christie’s former campaign manager, Bill Stepien: “The report’s venomous, gratuitous, and inappropriate sexist remarks concerning Ms. Kelly have no place in what is alleged to be a professional and independent report.”
Critchley called the report a “preemptive strike” to “impugn” Kelly’s credibility, suggesting it was an attempt to undercut any future evidence she might provide to other investigations looking at the lane closures. Critchley also said Kelly was ready to cooperate with the federal prosecutors looking into the matter if she were “provided with the appropriate procedural safeguards.”
“The only credible investigation into the lane closings is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Kelly said. “If Ms. Kelly were provided with the appropriate procedural safeguards, she will be fully cooperative and provide truthful and complete answers to any questions asked of her by the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
