New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has fired a top aide for a politically motivated vendetta that tied up traffic in a New Jersey town.
Christie, a front-runner among likely candidates for the Republican nod in the 2016 presidential race, apologized to the people of his state for the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last September.
Addressing a throng of reporters in Trenton, New Jersey Thursday afternoon, Christie said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by his staffers.
He has terminated the employment of Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly, who allegedly worked with a port authority official to close lanes of the George Washington Bridge in an effort to punish a Democratic mayor who did not endorse Christie's re-election.
A series of emails published Wednesday linked the lane closures to Kelly, including a message to Port Authority official David Wildstein saying it was "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
Christie said that he had been lied to by Kelly, so he had no idea about the true nature of the lane closures until this week.
"I take this action today because it's my job. I am responsible for what happened. I am sad to report to the people of New Jersey that we fell short, fell short of the expectations that we created, for excellence in this office," Christie said.
"Ultimately, I am responsible for what happens on my watch—the good and the bad," he added. "And when mistakes are made, I have to own up to them and take the action that I believe is necessary in order to remediate them."
Christie previously denied that he or his staff were involved and even made jokes about the lane closures.
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