Gov. Christie Hits Bridgegate ‘Hysteria’

As the Bridgegate investigations continue, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's approval numbers have been going down in recent polls, but Christie insists he's too busy running the state to become preoccupied with the lane closure scandal.

On Townsquare Media's Ask The Governor show Wednesday night, Christie said the Bridgegate investigation is a distraction, but it doesn't prevent him from doing his job.

"It's an important thing to look into and get to the bottom of, and as I've said before, we'll spend the time that we need to spend on it," Christie said, "and then when we have all the information we need we'll put it out to the public."

Christie acknowledged his poll numbers have dropped, but he was quick to add: "I got 61 percent of the vote in November; the poll numbers are still better than most governors in the region, and most governors across the country."

"We're going through an internal investigation, all of this stuff will come out over an appropriate period of time," the governor added, "and I'm not going to give in to the hysteria of questions that are given from folks that have information today that I didn't have earlier."

Christie has repeatedly stated he knew nothing about the lane closings, and has vowed to get to the bottom of what happened through an investigation being conducted by his office.

Two key Bridgegate witnesses who were dismissed by the governor last month - former Christie aide Bridget Kelly and campaign manager Bill Stepien - are refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Lawyers for the two have indicated they will not turn subpoenaed documents over to a state legislative committee trying to get to the bottom of why lanes at the George Washington were closed, and who was in on the scheme.

Additionally, former Port Authority official David Wildstein, who resigned when the Bridgegate probe began to heat up last December, has refused to testify before the state committee, citing his 5th Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

A second parallel investigation by federal officials is also being conducted.

The ongoing scandal could prove costly to Christie, who had been considered the frontrunner to capture the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination, but has slipped in several national polls.

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