New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie has fired a top aide who orchestrated lane closures that jammed traffic for days in a local Democratic rival's town last September.
Christie, appearing at a news conference Thursday morning, apologized for the incident and said he has dumped Bridget Kelly as his deputy chief of staff, effective immediately, "because she lied to me."
The governor, long-rumoured to be planning a 2016 presidential run, said it was "stupid and deceitful" for Kelly not to reveal what she knew about the scandal when asked about the traffic tie-ups four weeks ago.
"I am heartbroken that someone I permitted to be in that circle of trust in the last four years has broken that trust," he said.
Christie said he himself had no knowledge or involvement in the planning or execution of the lane closings.
Traffic moves across the George Washington Bridge, in Fort Lee, N.J., in this Sept. 2013 photo. (Mel Evans/Associated Press)
An email message sent by Kelly last August, calling for the lane closures, was disclosed on Wednesday. It's one of several documents subpoenaed by New Jersey Democratic lawmakers investigating whether the move was made as political retaliation aimed at the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., Mark Sokolich, for not endorsing Christie for re-election last fall.
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