New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is still under fire for the so-called “Bridgegate” scandal, but he’s found a vocal ally in former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Over the weekend, Mr. Giuliani has passionately defended Mr. Christie, a fellow Republican who clearly has eyes on the White House in 2016.
Not only is Mr. Giuliani defending Mr. Christie’s response to the politically motivated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last September— he cut ties with two top aides over the matter — but he also is floating an explanation for how such a fiasco could have unfolded.
“Things go wrong in an administration. Frankly, he was in campaign mode at the time. During campaign mode, you miss a lot of things. You’re not paying as much attention,” Mr. Giuliani said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “I can give you plenty of examples. Every administration, every president, every mayor, every governor — something goes wrong below them and the press asks ’how did they not know?’”
The lane closures, which appear to have been political retribution against Fort Lee, N.J., Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat who didn’t endorse Mr. Christie’s re-election bid, took place less than two months before Mr. Christie secured a second term in a landslide victory.
Furthermore, Mr. Giuliani said he firmly believes the scandal eventually will “just go away” and will by no means be “fatal” to Mr. Christie’s expected presidential bid.
His comments come just two days after he told Fox News that Mr. Christie has exhibited the kind of leadership that President Obama lacks, contrasting his approach to the bridge scandal with the White House’s handling of the Benghazi affair, the IRS targeting of right-wing groups and other matters.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.