Gov. Chris Christie believes the scandal over the George Washington Bridge lane closures will have no impact on his political career, saying that the Bridgegate matter will be a “footnote” by the time the 2016 campaign begins.
“I think it will have none, because I didn’t do anything,” he answered when asked by CBS’s Bob Schieffer about the scandal’s impact during a forum hosted by the Peterson Foundation.
“In the end, what the people of New Jersey know about me is I tell them the truth,” he said. “I told them I had nothing to do with it, and now you’ve had all kinds of people looking at this for nearly four and a half months now, and there hasn’t been one suggestion that I knew anything about it.”
Christie confirmed that he is still thinking about running for president and said he will make the decision about a White House run “later.”
In addition to the Bridgegate matter, Christie is facing new questions about how he will fix a state budget shortfall of over $800 million.
Asked about the budget gap, which has prompted downgrades from credit rating agencies, Christie said the fault for the shortfall lies with state economists.
“They said ‘we just missed it,’” he said. “And you know, the great thing about an economist is, that’s all they have to say.”
“I’m the one that has to fix your mess,” he added.
He said he plans an announcement next week about how to fix the state’s budget woes.
Asked if that will include tax increases, Christie offered a flat “no.”
