Gov. Chris Christie had planned a photo op in Fort Lee today as part of make Bridgegate go away day, but Fort Lee’s mayor has told Christie not to visit.
Mark Sokolich, the mayor of Fort Lee, NJ has made it known that Chris Christie isn’t welcome there until the investigation into Bridgegate is over.
Via a tweet from NBC’s Mark Murray:
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Per NBC's Sue Kroll, Fort Lee Mayor is asking Christie not to visit today. "We ask that this visit come once the investigation is over."
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) January 9, 2014
Christie is ignoring Sokolich’s request and is going to show up anyway. The governor’s press conference turned into a nearly 2 hour affair that found Christie looking very unpresidential by blaming staff, playing the victim, and claiming that he had no idea what was going on.
Christie’s big trick was to appear to take responsibility without really taking responsibility. Apparently, the mayor of Fort Lee wasn’t convinced by Christie’s performance. This is a smart move by the mayor, because the press conference raised more questions than it answered. It is very hard to believe that the governor’s senior staff would engage in a political vendetta without his blessing.
If Chris Christie was really in the dark as much as he is claiming to be, than he isn’t fit to be president. There is a difference a between hands off management and being completely asleep at the wheel. Christie is trying to sell himself as a hands off man of action, but those two things don’t go together. That contradiction is going to haunt Christie for a very long time.
The fact that Mayor Sokolich doesn’t want the governor around is a big problem. Christie’s refusal to stay away shows a man who doesn’t care what others want. The mayor isn’t willing to give Christie his moment in front of the cameras until he has been cleared or wrong doing, but yet, the governor is heading to Fort Lee anyway.
This is proof that Christie didn’t get the job done at his press conference. This scandal isn’t going away, and things may get a whole lot worse for Chris Christie.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
