N.J. legislative panel investigating traffic jam scandal to meet on Tuesday

[malaise]

http://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-legislative-panel-investigating-traffic-jam-scandal-to-meet-1.841384
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State lawmakers investigating the George Washington Bridge lane closures said they will meet Tuesday, when they are expected to consider whether to demand new documents related to the scandal and whether to call witnesses to testify under oath.

The meeting, announced Thursday, comes amid legal challenges to the panel’s subpoena power and a parallel criminal investigation that has the potential to complicate the lawmakers’ efforts to get answers. Two important figures in the scandal, both former aides to Governor Christie, are fighting subpoenas for documents in court, and another person has declined to testify before the committee. All have cited their Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

Tuesday’s meeting could illustrate how the panel of lawmakers intends to proceed given the possible obstacles. Although it’s not clear what action they will take, committee members have said in recent days that they are interested in demanding the documents collected by a law firm that was hired by the Christie administration to conduct an internal review. That law firm, Gibson Dunn, issued a report last week based on documents it gathered from the governor’s office that stated there was no evidence that the governor had prior knowledge of the politically-motivated lane closures.

Additionally, the committee could consider asking for testimony from peripheral figures capable of providing information related to the lane closures and what led to them. The committee is unlikely to call for testimony from more central players—for example, Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly — who would almost certainly refuse to appear by citing their constitutional protections.