Chris Christie Done Apologizing for ‘Bridgegate’

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images(DOVER, N.H.) — As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie searched the audience for a final questioner at his town hall meeting in Dover, New Hampshire Friday evening, he spotted a woman seated near the door.

“How about a slightly tougher question from an old Jersey girl?” the woman asked after Christie called on her.

“All right! Let’s do it!” Christie replied enthusiastically.

The woman then unloaded what was arguably Christie’s toughest question during his two-day visit to the Granite State.

“When I heard about the bridge scandal, I was beyond horrified,” she began. “I still think about it and feel for the people of Fort Lee.”

She then acknowledged that Christie says he knew nothing about it, but she expressed worry “about having a president who has people around him who think that’s okay.”

“I’m furious,” she said. “Please respond to make me feel better about this.”

Christie then walked her through his participation in the 15-month investigation, but stressed it is impractical “to guarantee people that no mistakes will be made.” He then told the crowd that he turned over his cell phone, professional and personal email, and demanded everyone in his administration cooperate with investigators.

“In the end, I can’t promise you, nor can anybody who is in a position of responsibility in the government that they will be able to prevent every bad thing from happening,” he said. “The best you can say is that I’ve learned from these mistakes, I don’t believe that they thought this was okay by me because if they did, they would have told me. That’s the greatest proof.”

Christie said the scandal has been “a painful process” but made clear he is putting the episode behind him.

“I have previously said I was sorry for what happened because it happened on my watch, and I have to be accountable for it, but being accountable and being responsible are two different things,” he said. “I am accountable because I’m the accountable officer of that government but I had nothing to do with it.”

“If they could have gotten something on me, I suspect they would have,” he continued. “And so, I’m not proud or happy of what happened, but I’m going to stop apologizing for it too because I’ve said my peace to the people of my state and the people of Fort Lee who were affected.”

Christie garnered his most positive response of the night with his lengthy answer, although the questioner remained silent amid the applause.

He then thanked her for asking a question on his “favorite” topic and concluded the event.


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