New Jersey Governor Chris Christie fired his deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly for her involvement in the scandal now commonly known as "Bridgegate".
For those unaware with the term, "Bridgegate" refers to the intentional closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge that began with an email from Kelly to Port Authority official David Wildstein that read, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Christie's campaign manager Bill Stepien was also aware of the email that was sent to punish Fort Lee, NJ major Mark Sokolich because he didn't endorse Christie for reelection.
"I terminated her employment because she lied to me," Christie said at a news conference in Trenton, NJ. The governor admitted, he had no "inkling anyone on my staff could be so stupid and so deceitful."
Christie said he had no idea any of this was going on, but took responsibility and was apologetic.
"I am responsible for what happened," the New Jersey governor said. "I am sad to report to the people of New Jersey that we fell short. I don't want any of you to confuse what I'm saying. I am responsible for what happens under my watch, the good and the bad."
The lane closures not only caused close to four-hour delays, but also prevented Emergency Response vehicles to getting to their destinations. Ambulances couldn't get to an unconcious 91-year-old woman who later died of cardiac arrest.
Kelly, who had been part of Christie's team since 2010, could not be reached for comment. Stepien has had his name taken out of consideration to head up the state's Republican party.
Christie had hoped the combination of the apologies and the disciplinary actions he took against his staffers would put an end to this scandal, but it may just be getting started. Six New Jeresy residents are filing lawsuits to seek damages for wages they lost from being late to work because of the four-day traffic jam. Christie and Kelly are listed as defendents in the lawsuit.
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