N.J. panel pushes for information from Christie attorneys on bridge closures

The special New Jersey legislative committee investigating the George Washington Bridge scandal is still seeking documents — and may call more people to testify.

But Republican Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, who said the special counsel has billed the committee more than $200,000 for two meetings, said she’s prefer to go in a different direction during a committee hearing Tuesday.

It’s time to pass legislation to reform the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees bridge operations, she said.

“What on earth is stopping us from moving forward on this legislation today?” she said. “We’re legislators. It’s our job to advance legislation.”

The co-chair of the committee, Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, said there are still too many questions about the bridge lane closures.

“To showboat here, to talk about how we can now [move] forward today, Assemblywoman, we’re not done with our work,” he said.

The committee wants the firm that conducted an internal review for the Christie administration to turn over requested documents by the end of the week or subpoenas will be issued to get them, Wisniewski said.

The lane closures resulted in four days of gridlock on the bridge, the busiest in the world, in September. The move was orchestrated from within Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, apparently as political retribution. A report issued last month by the law firm commissioned by the governor to conduct an internal review concluded that Christie was not involved