The ‘Bridgegate’ scandal

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie enters the Borough Hall in Fort Lee, N.J., to apologize to Mayor Mark Sokolich. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

Jan. 9, 2014 1:10 PM PT

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been dragged into a political scandal over the closure of lanes of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J. Christie, who apologized during a lengthy news conference, has already fired one top aide and now faces investigations into who was responsible for the possibly politically motivated closures.

Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly, fired for her role in the “Bridgegate” scandal, stands with Gov. Chris Christie during a tour of the Seaside Heights, N.J., boardwalk last year after it was hit by a massive fire. (Tim Larsen / Associated Press)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shakes hands with residents after leaving the Borough Hall in Fort Lee, N.J. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

Fort Lee, N.J., Mayor Mark Sokolich addresses a news conference. (Richard Drew / Associated Press)

Two women walk at Palisades Interstate Park as the sun sets over the George Washington Bridge, in Fort Lee, N.J. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press)

Fort Lee, N.J., Mayor Mark Sokolich arrives for a news conference. (Richard Drew / Associated Press)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks about his knowledge of a traffic study that snarled traffic at the George Washington Bridge, during a news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton. (Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at the news conference in Trenton. (Mel Evans / Associated Press)

David Wildstein, Gov. Chris Christie’s appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is seen alongside a projection of an email conversation at the Statehouse in Trenton. Wildstein resigned from the agency in December after the scandal broke. (Mel Evans / Associated Press)

Then-port authority executive Bill Baroni explains in November his reasoning for closing entrances to the George Washington Bridge. He resigned the following month. (Chris Pedota / Associated Press)

Democratic members of the New Jersey Assembly John S. Wisniewski and Loretta Weinberg listen to a question while discussing the lane closures Wednesday at the Statehouse in Trenton. (Mel Evans / Associated Press)

David Wildstein, former director of interstate capital projects for the port authority, waits to testify at a hearing held by the Assembly Transportation Committee in Trenton, N.J. (William Thomas Cain / Getty Images)