Christie interviewed by federal investigators over bridge scandal

WASHINGTON – New Jersey governor Chris Christie - a potential 2016 GOP presidential contender – was interviewed by federal prosecutors in December over the controversial lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, Fox News confirmed Friday.

Christie volunteered to meet with federal investigators to tell his side of the story, Christie aides said.

ABC News reported that Christie’s meeting with prosecutors took months to arrange and that investigators considered sending Christie a subpoena to appear before the grand jury.

“Governor Christie made clear from day one that he and his administration would fully cooperate with all appropriate inquiries,” a Christie spokesman told Fox News in a statement. “That’s exactly what he has done and will continue to do, and he is very much looking forward to this matter’s conclusion.”

The George Washington Bridge is one of the country’s busiest bridges. When some of the lanes were closed in September 2013, the traffic build up caused several disruptions in the area.

A report looking into the matter found that Christie aides Bridget Anne Kelly and David Wildstein acted with “perceived impunity” by closing the lanes. The report also said the Christie administration did not act quickly enough to resolve the closures.

Documents released showed that Wildstein, then an official at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Kelly, then an aide to Christie, orchestrated the shutdown, apparently as retribution against Fort Lee's Democratic mayor. In one email, Kelly told Wildstein, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."