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Bridgegate racks up $8 million in legal fees

by Bradford Richardson - 12/12/15 6:30 PM ET

The law firm Gibson Dunn has billed New Jersey roughly $8 million since it was hired to defend Gov. Chris Christie (R) for the “Bridgegate” scandal, according to the Associated Press.

Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, has not been charged, but his former deputy chief of staff and a top Point Authority appointee face criminal charges stemming from the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal.

{mosads}The governor has denied having any knowledge of the decision to close lanes on the bridge, which connects New Jersey and New York.

Critics have alleged Christie used the closures to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for not endorsing him in the 2013 gubernatorial election.

Gibson Dunn issued a 350-page report in 2014 exonerating Christie of any wrongdoing in the scandal.

The controversy resurfaced earlier this week when Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump said Christie “totally knew” about the controversial lane closures.

“The GW Bridge, he knew about it,” Trump said during a speech in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

“How do you have breakfast with people every day of your lives? They’re closing up the largest bridge in the world. … They’re with them all the time,” he continued. “They never said, ‘Hey, boss, we’re closing up the George Washington Bridge’? No, they’re talking about the weather, right?”

“So he knew about it. … He totally knew about it.”

Tags Bridgegate Chris Christie