The New Jersey General Assembly hired former federal prosecutor Reid Schar on Wednesday to serve as a special counsel to its committee dedicated to investigating September’s lane closures on the George Washington Bridge.
Schar is a partner at Jenner & Block LLP, where he focuses on white collar defense and investigations, according to a statement from Assembly Democrats announcing the move. Schar was previously an assistant U.S. attorney. In that role, he was the lead investigator and prosecutor in the corruption trials of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
The lane closures led to days of gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J. and some Democrats have alleged they were a politically-motivated attack by allies of Gov. Chris Christie (R). Documents subpoenaed by the Assembly’s transportation committee last month showed a Christie aide was involved in discussions about the lane closures. These revelations led the Assembly to establish a dedicated committee to look into the matter.
In addition to the Assembly, the state Senate is planning to establish its own committee to investigate the issue.
