For the first time since newly released emails showed an aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was complicit in closing major access lanes to a bridge to exact political revenge, Christie on Thursday issued a public denial that he had any prior knowledge of the scheme and announced that the aide responsible for it has been fired.
“I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or its execution, and I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here,” Christie said during a two-hour press conference. The controversy over the lane closures, which resulted in a massive four-day traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J., exploded Wednesday when subpoenaed emails provided the first definitive link to the governor’s office. The scandal threatens to unravel Christie’s carefully curated image as a straight-shooter who puts his constituents before politics, and could threaten his standing as a potential presidential candidate.
