Federal prosecutors probing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's Bridge-gate scandal haven't found any link yet between the Republican executive and the George Washington Bridge lane closures that triggered traffic havoc last September, a new report says.
The New Jersey governor came under fire because of allegations the closures were ordered as political payback on Fort Lee, N.J., Mayor Mark Sokolich for refusing to endorse Christie's re-election bid.
Citing unnamed federal officials,
NBC New York reported Thursday that after nine months of investigation, prosecutors have not found any evidence that he knew about the plan in advance or directed the closure of traffic lanes on the busy span between New Jersey and New York.
The officials said the probe is still going on and has come to no final conclusion.
The governor hired lawyers to do a similar probe, which found that two state officials participated in the scheme, but that Christie didn't know of the closures beforehand and wasn't involved in the decision.
Critics of the governor slammed the internal report.
In a radio interview Thursday night, Christie said the federal probe backs up what he's been saying all along,
Business Insider reports.
"Obviously we'll wait to hear whatever the authorities have to say but this is a report that comes as no shock to me," he said, the news site reports. "I don't want to overreact to it, because I'm not surprised by it."
Officials from the Justice Department, FBI, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman's office, and Christie all declined to comment, the NBC report said.