Scandal upstages Christie’s State of the State speech [View all]

[ProSense]

Scandal upstages Christie’s State of the State speech

By Robert Costa and Sean Sullivan

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Tuesday vowed in a high-profile speech to take steps to ensure the “breach of trust” that led to the turbulent political scandal rocking his office will not happen again.

“The last week has certainly tested this administration,” Christie said. “Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve. I know our citizens deserve better. Much better.”

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Christie’s policy prescriptions were upstaged by the continuing controversy over a scheme in which top aides to the governor worked to paralyze traffic in Fort Lee, N.J., in an apparent plot against the town’s Democratic mayor. A separate inquiry from the federal government about the use of disaster-relief funds has also complicated the governor’s outlook.

“I’m the governor and I am ultimately responsible for all that happens on my watch — both good and bad,” said Christie.

A new element of the unfolding traffic story emerged Tuesday when the Wall Street Journal published a Sept. 11 photo of Christie and David Wildstein, the Port Authority official who helped orchestrate lane closures that led to the traffic. The two appeared at a ceremony commemorating the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The traffic jam began Sept. 9 and lasted four days.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/scandal-upstages-christies-state-of-the-state-speech/2014/01/14/6754b1ea-7d31-11e3-93c1-0e888170b723_story.html

5 things we learned from Chris Christie's State of the State address

By Darryl Isherwood/NJ.com

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1. Not all Bridgegate investigations are equal

The governor opened his speech today with a discussion of the scandal that has plagued his administration over the past week, apologizing again for the debacle and promising that it will never happen again.

In making that promise, the governor vowed to cooperate with all "appropriate" investigations of the issue. With the Assembly forming a special committee to investigate the matter and the Senate looking to do the same, the question has to be asked, which investigations will be deemed "inappropriate."

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http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/5_things_we_learned_from_chris_christies_state_of_the_state_address.html