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Chris Christie Self Destructs In Press Conference and Scapegoats Staff for Bridgegate

Instead of coming clean with all the information related to Bridgegate, Gov. Chris Christie used the press conference to self destruct by throwing the staff under the bus. Christie made sure that this story will not be going away.

Here’s a clip of Christie announcing the firing of staff:

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Chris Christie apologized for his “failure to understand the true nature of the problem.” He announced that he fired his deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly for lying to him. Gov. Christie claimed that he never saw the emails until yesterday morning, and said, “there’s no justification for that behavior.”

Christie also announced that he is now having personal one on one discussions with his senior staff to determine if there is any other information that he should know. He said that if there is any additional information he will disclose it, and he will take action towards his senior staff if he needs to. Christie said, “I am heartbroken that someone that I permitted to be in that circle of trust…betrayed that trust.”

Gov. Christie took responsibility, but said that his staff was stupid for being involved in this. Christie’s whole gameplan here is to take responsibility in the vaguest of terms, while denying any knowledge of the situation.

Christie also yanked Bill Stepien from being state party chair, and future duties with the Republican Governors Association. Christie said, “Ultimately, I am responsible for what happens under my watch, the good and the bad.” Christie said this after he threw his staff under the bus.

Gov. Christie looked weak by claiming that yesterday was the first time that he knew about this, and that he was blindsided. The fact that Christie chose the “I didn’t know” path as his escape route shows that the governor’s political future could be a sinking ship. The way he is handling this story ensures that it is not going to go away.

Reporters and media will likely keep digging. If/when they find evidence that Christie knew about this, the governor of New Jersey’s political future will be toast. Christie flatly stated that he had no knowledge of this issue. It’s planning, or its execution. The governor took a big risk, and if he is not being totally honest, he will be caught.

Chris Christie tried to turn this into a leadership moment, but he looked like ambitious 2016 who was throwing staff under the bus to save his presidential dreams. The fact that Christie has to rely on the claim that he was misled makes him look like a weak executive who is not in charge of his administration.

The Chris Christie myth/brand that grew up around Hurricane Sandy has been wiped out. Bridgegate as a scandal confirmed the bullying and retribution that many people always knew were a part of Christie’s behavior and personality. Christie even had to go the Christine O’Donnell route and declare, “I am not a bully.”

This has been a self destructive performance that raises more questions than it answers. Instead of coming out with all of the information, it appears that Christie is still ducking, dodging, feeding the media some staff sacrifices, and hoping that this thing goes away. Christie is denying that he knew anything about this. If it turns out that he did in any way, he is finished as a potential presidential candidate. As it stands, his weak defense has left him seriously wounded.

Christie needed to come completely clean, and one gets the sense that he didn’t. The national media is focusing on what this could mean for a Christie 2016 general election campaign, but this scandal will be used against him in the Republican primaries. Christie already faced challenges in the with Republican voters in the South. His answers have made those challenges worse, and his problems bigger.

Chris Christie didn’t put this scandal to bed. He added fuel to the fire. This is a classic case of political scapegoating, and it obvious that Gov. Christie is trying to survive the political firestorm. The bottom line is that Christie didn’t make things better with this press conference. He most likely made it worse, and if the smoking gun is ever found, Christie’s goose will be cooked.

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