New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said Thursday that he had a "very good and productive meeting" with the Democratic mayor whose city faced snarled traffic due to Christie aide’s apparent political vendetta.
Hours after a lengthy press conference apologizing for the scandal that has rocked his administration, Christie met with Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for over half an hour.
Deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly was fired Wednesday after revelations that she worked with a port authority official to create traffic on the George Washington Bridge, a move designed to punish Sokolich for declining to endorse Christie for re-election.
Calling the scandal a "terrible thing," Christie said he apologizes to the people affected by the incident.
"We are going to work to regain their trust," he said.
Earlier Thursday, Christie insisted that he had no idea that his team was even seeking a nod from Sokolich.
“Mayor Sokolich was never on my radar screen,” he said. “He was never mentioned to me as somebody whose endorsement we were even pursuing.”