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21. A Hiring by Christie Raises Questions Over Cooperation

A Hiring by Christie Raises Questions Over Cooperation

By KATE ZERNIKEJAN

TRENTON — As the New Jersey Assembly voted unanimously on Thursday to authorize an investigation into abuses of power by Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, Mr. Christie seemed to be maneuvering against the inquiry, hiring a high-powered defense lawyer and resisting questions about whether he would cooperate with the Legislature’s efforts.

The investigative panel created by the Assembly issued subpoenas to 17 individuals and three organizations that members believe may be able to answer why Mr. Christie’s deputy chief of staff gave the signal to close lanes onto the George Washington Bridge in September in an act of political punishment.

Mr. Christie’s administration announced that it had hired Randy M. Mastro, a longtime associate of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, to conduct an internal review and cooperate with the investigation announced last week by the United States attorney’s office into the lane closings, which gridlocked emergency vehicles, commuters and school buses in Fort Lee, N.J., for four days.

But while the statement said that Mr. Mastro would also assist with “other appropriate inquiries,” it left unsaid whether Mr. Christie intended to cooperate with the Legislature. When asked directly whether the governor considered the legislative inquiries appropriate, a spokesman for the governor, Colin Reed, declined to answer. “I have nothing to add beyond the statement,” he said.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/nyregion/christie-bridge-inquiry.html