Bergen County Superior Court Judge Bonnie Mizdol announced on Friday that no special prosecutor would be appointed to investigate the official misconduct complaint lodged by a private citizen against New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in relation to Bridgegate.
Bill Brennan, the citizen who requested the special prosecutor, said that one was needed due to the recusal of both Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal and US Attorney Chris Porrino on the case. Both men were appointed by Christie. Now, the first assistant prosecutor in Bergen County and the first assistant attorney general will investigate the complaint.
Mizdol heard arguments from Brennan, an attorney for Christie and law enforcement officials on Wednesday. Last month, two Christie appointees–former Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority Bill Baroni and former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly–were found guilty of improperly using Port Authority resources to close the lanes.
Christie has regularly denied any prior knowledge of the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane closures at the center of the case.
