By Bob Jordan@BobJordanAPP

Federal prosecutors say the George Washington Bridge scandal investigation is ongoing, refuting an NBC report that Gov. Chris Christie has been cleared.

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, Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News reported that "federal charges are now ruled out for Chris Christie in the affair that came to be known as Bridgegate.''

NEWARK – NBC says a report by Brian Williams on the network's Nightly News 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.

Is Christie off the hook?

"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.''

According to a transcript of Brian Williams' Friday night broadcast supplied by NBC, "We may have added confusion to some complex reporting last night -- and it has to do with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the multiple investigations underway into so-called 'Bridgegate,' when Christie surrogates allegedly ordered politically-motivated lane closures on the busiest bridge in the world. The state of play is this: the Feds have SO FAR found no grounds for charges -- no involvement of the Governor himself. Both the Federal and State investigations continue."

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. Three other NBC reports said the same thing, except for the Nightly News version.

On New Jersey 101.5 FM Thursday night, Christie -- who was referring to the News 4 New York report, his spokesman, Kevin Roberts, said Friday -- said the report that there's no connection to him so far "comes as no shock to me" and that it affirmed what he has said since January. He also noted it was aligned with the conclusions of an outside review his office commissioned by the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher law firm that has cost around $7.3 million.

Earlier Thursday, Christie called the legislative investigation of the bridge scandal "is 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.

Bob Jordan 609-984-4343, bjordan@app.com