Judge signs summons against Gov. Christie over lane closures

“I’m satisfied that there’s probable cause to believe that an event of official misconduct was caused by Governor Christie”, McGeady said on Thursday.

The Bridgegate scandal is not over for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

He testified that the governor knew by midweek that the lane shutdowns were intended as payback against Fort Lee’s mayor. The lanes were re-opened that Friday.

The judge issued a criminal summons for Christie, the New York Post reports.

The criminal complaint was filed by a New Jersey activist, Bill Brennan, in late September and accuses the governor of misconduct for having knowledge of his aides’ conduct and the motivations behind it.

Three investigations into the scandal did not find evidence Christie authorized or knew about the lane closures.

Last month, Christie nominated acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal to formally take over the office, but the Senate has not scheduled a confirmation hearing.

Bill Baroni, another former appointee of Christie’s at the Port Authority, and former Christie staffer Bridget Anne Kelly are now on trial for federal fraud and corruption charges over their alleged roles in orchestrating the scheme.

The summons, coming in the middle of the federal trial of two former top Christie aides, is unrelated to the ongoing Newark prosecution.

Christie has said he had “no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution” and was stunned by the “abject stupidity that was shown”.

The bridge is located across from Manhattan in Fort Lee, New Jersey – where the city’s Democratic mayor had declined to endorse Christie during his gubernatorial reelection campaign.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The state’s low gas prices are about to get more expensive after Republican Gov. Chris Christie on Friday signed legislation raising the gas tax by 23 cents per gallon, from the 49th highest in the nation to the sixth, to pay for an expired transportation trust fund.

A Christie spokesman, Brian Murray, said the governor would appeal the ruling immediately.

After his testimony surfaced in the federal trial, a local activist filed a legal complaint against Christie in Fort Lee municipal court. Earlier this week, the jury heard officers Paul Nunziato and Mike DeFillipis testify that Baroni asked them to falsely state that the lane reductions were their idea and that they had refused.

Although Christie and legislative leaders were in agreement, the proposal sparked division among rank-and-file lawmakers of both parties, and the gas tax increase was also unpopular with many residents, who flooded legislators’ offices with phone calls and emails decrying the hike.

Two former Christie administration officials have been charged with closing the lanes and then covering it up.