Original sentence: Christie was cleared by an investigation conducted by a law firm hired by the governor's office, which was criticized as a "whitewash" by some Democrats, including the Democratic Mayor of Hoboken, who was one of those who refused to be interviewed for the report..
Edited sentence: Christie was cleared by an investigation conducted by a law firm hired by the governor's office, which was criticized as a "whitewash" that read like a brief on behalf of the governor, and was unable to interview key participants involved in the planning or aftermath of the lane closures and related controversies.. Polls found that New Jerseyans agreed with the critics by a wide margin