New Jersey Gov. Christ Christie’s presidential hopes aren’t symbolized by a growing rose these days, but a piece of toast. The latest blow is a big one: his former campaign manager now claims Christie was told of the politically motivated George Washington Bridge closing in advance:
Gov. Chris Christie’s former campaign manager says he told the governor about plans to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge in December, contradicting Christie’s claims he had no prior knowledge.
Bill Stepien, who lost his job in the scandal, contends he told Christie about the GWB traffic plans on Dec. 12, a day before the governor told reporters his staff didn’t know about them. Christie issued a public apology on Jan. 9, claiming he was lied to by members of his staff on the controversy. Stepien’s lawyer, Kevin Marino, blasted an internal investigation the governor ordered that concluded Stepien had misled Christie about the politically motivated September closures.
This will be one more nail in the rapidly-being-sealed political coffin of Christie’s Presidential hopes: it’s just the latest tidbit that puts the Governor’s version at variance with a lengthening tapestry of allegations about his staff — a staff hired by a Governor who had always touted himself as a hands-on administrator and a leader.
His Presidential hopes aren’t totally sunk but they’ve sprung a serious leak:
Gov. Chris Christie ranks fifth in a packed field of possible contenders for the next Republican nomination for president, according to a new poll tracking the 2016 race for the White House.
The ABC News/Washington Post survey, released today, shows 9 percent of 1,000 voters polled across the country would choose Christie as the Republican nominee — a 5-point drop from the group’s last poll.
Still, the survey shows a wide-open race, with candidates separated by thin margins. Christie is trailing U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky (15 percent), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (14), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (12), and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin (12).
Rounding out the field are U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas (7), U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida (6), Texas Gov. Rick Perry (5 percent), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (5), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (2), and Ohio Gov. John Kasich (1).
Christie is on the descent:
The last ABC News poll, released in January, showed Christie in third place in the Republican field, with 14 percent of the vote. The two ahead of him were Paul and Bush, with 18 percent each.
Christie’s foes will battle him on his conservative creds and most likely bring up or allude to “Bridgegate.”
And — make no mistake about it– it’s a sensitive issue for Christie, who almost became the subject of a story that would have gone viral and would have made him a late night comedian’s dream:
A last-minute change avoided what could have been an uncomfortable moment in the Sept. 11 museum dedication ceremony: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie followed by “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
The original program for the ceremony had Christie’s remarks followed by Idina Menzel‘s performance of the song. That sent social media aflutter with speculation that the scheduling was a jab at the governor over accusations that his staff intentionally clogged traffic near the George Washington Bridge to punish a political adversary.
But just before the ceremony, museum spokesman Anthony Guido announced that Menzel, star of the Broadway show “If/Then,” was sick and would not perform. In her place, another member of the show’s cast, LaChanze, herself a 9/11 widow, performed “Amazing Grace.”
Guido said the change had nothing to do with Christie or the song.
But can’t you see it coming?
Somewhere on the Presidential campaign trail, if he runs, someone (a Democrat or supporter of another Republican candidate) will blare that song — a song some used to feel was suited for Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Christie’s problem is that there’s likely to be more of this drip-drip-drip of allegations suggesting he knew and at the very least enabled the bridge closures, if not cheered it on. And then his campaign will be the story over a bridge over troubled political waters.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.