Full transcript: N.J. Gov. Chris Christie?s Jan. 9 news conference on George Washington Bridge scandal - The Washington Post
He trusted the judgement of his campaign manager for 5 long years but only now he decides that he can't when it is politically expedient to do so?
This is political dissembling. Christie is telling a story that doesn't add up. When he had a press conference 4 weeks ago he used the story about it being a "traffic study" and now he is claiming to be "blindsided" by the emails.
If the NJ Legislature and the Port Authority were not buying the "story" about the "traffic study" then Christie should have been asking why they weren't. Instead he comes up with this "narrative" that makes it appear as though he put everyone on the carpet and now he is "blindsided". There is no way that is credible because during those 4 weeks the guilty parties would have been trying to cover their butts and that would have included "off the record" conversations with Christie.
Furthermore, unless Christie is a gullible fool, and he is far from being one, he would not have been satisfied with what he was hearing either. As a former prosecutor he should be able to spot a hole in a story in a heartbeat.
His answers were evasive and he is laying the blame for this on his staff. It defies credulity that none of his allegedly "trusted friends and advisers" told him the truth. It is also incredible to believe that his staff would concoct this plan without clearing it with him first. Was there no one there who considered the political ramifications if this became public knowledge? We aren't talking about neophytes here. These are political insiders. They would be well aware of the consequences so they would not have acted on their own authority. Someone higher up the food chain than Bridget Kelly came up with this scheme. I seriously doubt it was Christie's legal adviser so that leaves only Christie and his Chief of Staff. Given Christie's feud with the NJ Democratic legislature and the timing it all points back at Christie himself.
how would he know if a trusted high ranking staff member lied to him? do you think the governor of a state is concerned about road closures, one that lasted only four days. please.
We still only have Christie's word that anyone lied to him.
When a "road closure" causes problems with interstate commerce and prevents 1st responders from being able to carry out their duties then he should be concerned when it persists for 4 days.
Until someone comes forward with knowledge otherwise, he's innocent....that's how it's done in this country, dorito.
They are New Jersey people who worked for the Port Authority -- which is controlled by both state Governors -- but it was the NJ people who shut it down.