UPDATE: Chris Christie Still Kinda Running For President
[Update 11:41 am] The New York Times clarifies everything:
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey told top Republican donors on Sunday that his presidential ambitions were on hold until next year, amid a widening state investigation into a bridge closing ordered by his aides, and further allegations that he has bullied local officials.
At a reception with about 200 top donors hosted on Sunday by one of his biggest boosters, the Home Depot co-founder Kenneth G. Langone, Mr. Christie sounded refreshed and upbeat after a turbulent week that saw him muted and put on the defensive.
Appearing before Mr. Langone’s guests, Mr. Christie was blunt about any questions regarding 2016: “Come see me next year,” he told them, according to one participant.
[Original] Chris Christie is apparently not the kind of politician to hunker down in a governor’s mansion in the face of growing adversity. Even though the “Bridgegate” scandal deepened last week, Christie went to Floriday for a political event, shmoozing donor—the kind of thing you do if you’re still running for president, rather than dodging subpoenas.
Christie was in Florida this weekend as the new chairman of the Republican Governors Association. He spent Saturday at private finance events with GOP Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is up for reelection. The Sunday event … was billed as a meet-and-greet with party donors, not a fundraiser.
Politico adds that Christie ended up answering lots of questions about Bridgegate. He said he does not know when the scandal will end:
The potential presidential nominee also brushed off a question about 2016, the attendee said.
“He didn’t get sucked in on that,” the person said. “He said, ‘I’m the governor of New Jersey. I’ve got a job to do and I’m going to do it.’”
Still. He said that in Florida. While shmoozing with donors. It takes moxie to be so political at a moment when politics are biting you in the but.
