'Embarrassed' Chris Christie fires aide, apologizes for traffic jam scandal

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ANI Washington
Last Updated : Jan 11 2014 | 7:30 PM IST

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who fired his top aide for orchestrating traffic mayhem, apologized repeatedly for the inconvenience caused due to the closure of traffic lanes.

Washing his hands of the matter, Christie blamed his staff for the 'embarrassing' manoeuvre and deemed the incident as 'abject stupidity'.

Supporting Christie's decision to sack the aide, Kevin Madden, a fellow Republican took a dig at President Barack Obama, saying that Christie's act was in contrast to the President's non-reactiveness in the Obamacare issue, where none of his staff was fired.

While Christie's potential rivals for the Republican presidential nomination maintained silence on the issue, in New Jersey, the state democrats took up the matter for further investigation, the Washington Times reported.

Calling it a deliberate act, six New Jersey residents have filed a lawsuit against Christie and concerned authorities, claiming that the traffic jam made them late for work and caused panic attack.

Furthermore, they want the lawsuit to be certified as a class-action case. If found guilty, the state will have to pay for damages to a large number of people and criminal charges will be levelled against those involved.

U.S Attorney Paul Fishman, who heads the federal prosecution team in New Jersey, said that the matter is being reviewed for further action.

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First Published: Jan 11 2014 | 7:19 PM IST

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