NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 29: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie attends a statewide prayer service at the New Hope Baptist Church on the one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy on October 29, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29 near Brigantine, New Jersey and affected 24 states from Florida to Maine and cost the country an estimated $65 billion.National Journal

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In a statement released from Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor distances himself from the emerging scandal over his office having orchestrated a traffic jam to get back at a mayor who did not endorse his candidacy.

In the statement, Christie said his staff misled him, and they will be held responsible.

What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions.

For now, it's unclear whether Christie's hands are clean in the scandal, but this statement makes it clear that he's staking everything on the hope that no one will find evidence that he was involved. And it's almost  too obvious to state that the scandal may come to haunt him in a possible presidential run, as potential attack-ad material emerges (such as reports that the resulting traffic jam slowed down a police search for a missing child).

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This article is from the archive of our partner National Journal.

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