WASHINGTON – Democrats in Washington do not plan on holding hearings on Gov. Christie's bridge scandal, even if one key Senator says questions remain after the governor's apology Thursday.
"They've got a big fat problem there. Am I convinced that he didn't know about it? No, I'm not," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.), who chairs the committee that oversees transportation. Rockefeller in December called for the U.S. Department of Transportation to look into the lane closures at the heart of the furor and sent the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey a list of questions, demanding answers by Jan. 15.
But on Thursday Rockefeller indicated that he would not call Senate hearings and would instead leave any investigation to federal prosecutors.
"My instinct is not to do that," he said in an interview. "The federal prosecutors are not gentle so I reside my faith in them and we'll watch them closely."
He added, "I don't put us out of the game entirely, but I just think a hearing at this point would be seen as entirely political and my guess is we won't get any answers."
Democrats in the House are in the minority and so do not have the power to lead a formal hearing.No
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