USA Today – by Bob JordanNEWARK, N.J. — NBC says a report by Brian Williams on the network’s Nightly News program that federal charges have been ruled out for Gov. Chris Christie in the George Washington Bridge scandal was incorrect.
Federal prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing and haven’t made any announcement on Christie’s status.
“The investigation is continuing,” said Rebekah Carmichael, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman.
NBC outlets had several reports Thursday and Friday citing anonymous sources saying no Christie connection had been uncovered, while noting the investigation is continuing. However, Williams on NBC Nightly News Thursday night reported that “federal charges are now ruled out for Chris Christie in the affair that came to be known as ‘Bridgegate.’ ”
NBC spokeswoman Erika Masonhall said that was wrong.
“An unscripted line of our Nightly News report was imprecise and implied that a final decision had been reached,” Masonhall said.
Carmichael declined to provide additional details about the probe Friday.
The first of the NBC reports came from Jonathan Dienst at News 4 New York, who quoted anonymous federal officials as saying the investigation had uncovered no connection to Christie, but the report also said prosecutors remain actively working the case.
In a radio interview Thursday night, Christie said the New 4 New York report “comes as no shock to me” and that it affirmed what he has said since January.
Earlier Thursday, Christie called the New Jersey legislative investigation of the bridge scandal “a partisan pursuit” and he urged panel members to “wrap up your work.”
He said Democrats leading the committee “care more about being on television then they care about actually getting to the truth,” and he threatened to restrict access to his administration.