New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took questions from the media during a press conference in response to the George Washington Bridge lane closures scandal that has overtaken his administration over the past two days.

The scandal broke open when emails between one of his top staffers and one of his Port Authority appointees revealed that someone in his office did now about the sudden lane closures on the bridge that caused a traffic nightmare in the town of Fort Lee.

Early on in his Q&A session, Christie made it clear that the staffer in question, Bridget Anne Kelly, has been fired. Emails between her and David Wildstein of the Port Authority two weeks before the lanes were closed in September showed that she did know about them.

“I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team,” Christie said, reports USA Today. He added that there is “no doubt in my mind the conduct exhibited is completely unacceptable and shows the lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we are trusted to serve.”

The popular Republican, who is said to be a frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, again stressed that he had no knowledge that anyone in his office was involved. “I am stunned by the abject stupidity shown here. Regardless of what the facts ultimately uncover, this was handled in a callous and indifferent way,” he said.
[new page = Page 2]
In addition to Kelly’s firing, NJ.com reports that his campaign manager, Bill Stepien, will not take over leadership of the New Jersey Republican Party, as had been announced earlier this week. Christie also asked him to withdraw from his role as a Republican Governors Association consultant.

“I take this action today because it’s my job,” Christie said, adding that he is still responsible for what happened. He apologized to the state and the people of Fort Lee.

“I am sad to report to the people of New Jersey that we fell short,” he continued. “We fell short of the expectations that we’ve created over the last four years for the type of excellence in government that they should expect from this office.”

At the center of the scandal is the idea that Christie’s office closed the lanes as retribution for Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor not supporting Christie during his 2013 re-election campaign. This scandal could damage Christie’s image and impact his 2016 chances.

According to the New York Times, just before today’s press conference in Trenton, Paul J. Fishman, the U.S. attorney for the state, began his inquiry into the case. A source for the paper said that the inspector general of the Port Authority referred the case to Fishman’s office. The Port Authority oversees operations of the GW Bridge.

NJ.com is reporting that traffic on the bridge delayed emergecny response service to at least four calls. The delays were outlined in a letter the site obtained that Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich received from coordinator Paul Favia on Sept. 10. One of the 911 callers was a 91-year-old woman who was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Although Favia didn’t blame the traffic for her death, he did note that EMS responders were delayed.

image: Wikimedia Commons