The seeds of the destruction of New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s reputation were sown in 2013 when members of his staff plotted to create traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge, apparently as political retribution against a local mayor for not supporting Christie in his bid for re-election. Yesterday, two former aides to Christie were found guilty of all charges in connection to the “Bridgegate” scandal.
Christie has said he had no knowledge of the plan, but his political goose could well be cooked.
Let’s think back, for a moment, to happier days. In the early stages of the 2012 presidential election season, Christie was considered a favorite for the Republican nomination. He had impressed Roger Ailes, then the CEO of Fox News and long seen as the kingmaker of the party (who has seen his own fall from grace). Christie was a rising star, poised to become the new face of a Republican party that needed a facelift.
He opted not to run in 2012, saying it was “not his time.” A year later, “Bridgegate” happened. Still, Christie remained popular within the party, so he decided to run for president in 2016.
With the scandal looming, however, Christie flamed out of the primaries. He then endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump, but was passed over as his vice presidential choice in favor of Indiana governor Mike Pence. Christie has since become historically unpopular in his home state and a maligned figure throughout the United States.
As you read the last year’s worth of Chris Christie headlines, we suggest you listen to the theme from HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm or “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel:
Oct. 10, 2015: Back in the pack, this is not the campaign Chris Christie envisioned
Oct. 15, 2015: Nobody likes Chris Christie: He’s polling at 5 percent in his own state
Oct. 19, 2015: Snooki: Chris Christie Is a ‘Scary Man’
Oct. 22, 2015: Chris Christie Clashes With Veteran Nurse Over Medical Marijuana
Oct. 22, 2015: Nurse Held by New Jersey Over Ebola Exposure Sues Christie
Oct. 25, 2015: Chris Christie, Sipping a Smoothie, Was Kicked Off an Amtrak Car For Screaming on His Phone
Oct. 29, 2015: N.Y. Times calls on Christie to quit prez race; Christie says no way
Nov. 5, 2015: Chris Christie Has No Chance of Getting Into the Next Prime-Time Debate
Nov. 5, 2015:
Chris Christie to Miss Main Stage at Next GOP Debate
Nov. 11, 2015: Bridgegate Defendants: Christie’s Team Hiding Thousands of Documents, Including Christie Emails
Nov. 12, 2015: Panel’s verdict on ‘Happy-hour debate’ turned out sad for Chris Christie
Nov. 17, 2015: Christie on refugees: Not even 5-year-old orphans
Nov. 18, 2015: Christie touts his time as U.S. attorney, but draws scorn of cops
Dec. 2, 2015: Once Embraced by Chris Christie, New Jersey’s Muslims Feel Betrayed
Dec. 10, 2015: Chris Christie’s approval rating in New Jersey hits new low
Dec. 29, 2015: Trump eviscerates Christie for being ‘a little boy’ during Obama visit
Jan. 25, 2016: ‘Want Me to Go Down There With a Mop?’ Chris Christie Says About NJ Flooding Cleanup
Feb. 3, 2016: Chris Christie Promises to Beat Hillary Clinton’s “Rear End”
Feb. 10, 2016: Chris Christie Drops Out of Presidential Race After New Hampshire Flop
Feb. 19, 2016: Chris Christie’s Bridge-Gate legal fees exceed $10 million
Feb. 26, 2016: Chris Christie endorses Donald Trump
Feb. 28, 2016: Chris Christie Struggles To Explain Trump Endorsement In Train Wreck TV Interview
Feb. 29, 2016: Chris Christie is now ruined
March 1, 2016: Six N.J. newspapers call on Christie to resign
March 1, 2016: Chris Christie Introduces Donald Trump, in What Appears to Be a Hostage Situation
March 1, 2016: Super Tuesday: Twitter Ablaze With Chris Christie “Hostage” Jokes
March 6, 2016: SNL skewers Chris Christie’s ‘sad, desperate’ press conference with Donald Trump
March 14, 2016: Christie skips N.J. trooper funeral to campaign for Trump
March 24, 2016: Back in New Jersey, Chris Christie tussles with state politicians
March 25, 2016: Chris Christie positions himself to be Trump’s running mate
March 31, 2016: Totally Not-Sad Governor Chris Christie Spends Morning Defending the Way He Eats M&Ms
April 7, 2016: Gov Chris Christie’s Chief of Staff resigns
April 14, 106: Chris Christie’s Communications Director to Step Down
April 14, 2016: Cruz: Christie in ‘own private hell’ over Trump
April 28, 2016: Christie’s approval rating in NJ hits all-time low
April 29, 2016: Bridgegate scandal still looms for Chris Christie as trial of former Port Authority exec ramps up
May 6, 2016: Trump to hold rally to help Christie pay debts
May 9, 2016: Chris Christie Will Start Planning the Trump Administration
May 20, 2016: Donald Trump Tells Chris Christie: ‘No More Oreos!’ (VIDEO)
June 9, 2016: Chris Christie Comments On Attractiveness Of Women Tennis Players
June 15, 2016: Chris Christie Denies He Is Donald Trump’s “Manservant”
June 30, 2016: Christie’s N.J. approval rating ‘stagnant and historically low,’ poll says
June 30, 2016: Gov. Chris Christie Being Vetted as Potential Vice Presidential Pick for Trump
July 15, 2016: Trump announces Pence as his VP, passing over Christie
July 15, 2016: Twitter trolls Chris Christie after Trump picks Pence for VP
July 15, 2016: Chris Christie Lost Out on the Job He Wanted. And His Bad Year Got Worse
July 15, 2016: Former Chris Christie ally pleads guilty in bribery case involving United flight
July 18, 2016: Chris Christie’s week from hell: Five of the governor’s appointees have drawn the attention of federal prosecutors over corruption allegations
July 19, 2016: ‘Lock her up’: Chris Christie leads mock trial of Hillary Clinton
July 19, 2016: Chris Christie on Trump VP snub: Disappointed but ‘over it’
July 21, 2016: Chris Christie used #BringBackOurGirls against Hillary Clinton, and it didn’t go down well in Nigeria
Aug. 10, 2016: Chris Christie Can’t Escape Bridgegate
Aug. 10, 2016: Aide Said Christie ‘Lied’ About Staff Not Being Involved in Bridge Lane Closures
Sept. 18, 2016: Christie falsely claims Trump hadn’t talked ‘birther’ for years
Sept. 19, 2016: Prosecutor: Chris Christie was told about plan to close lanes on bridge
Sept. 19, 2016: Both Sides in Bridgegate Trial Agree: Christie Lied About Lane Closings
Sept. 20, 2016: Christie’s Popularity Still Plummeting as ‘Bridgegate’ Trial Begins
Sept. 22, 2016: Christie should be impeached if he lied about Bridgegate
Oct. 4, 2016: Chris Christie Has Squeezed the NJ Transit System to Its Breaking Point
Oct. 5, 2016: Bruce Springsteen Can’t Stop Laughing At Thought Of Christie Fist-Pumping At His Concerts
Oct. 13, 2016: Judge Finds Probable Cause to Probe Chris Christie Over Bridgegate
Oct. 19, 2016: The Inglorious End of Chris Christie
Oct. 25, 2016: Chris Christie Is Over
Oct. 27, 2016: Chris Christie’s epic collapse
Oct. 30, 2016: Trump offered Christie his VP slot — then rescinded it
Oct. 30, 2016: Paul Manafort tricked Trump into switching from Christie to Pence by faking airplane malfunction
Oct. 31, 2016: Defense in Bridgegate case calls Chris Christie and crew ‘cowards’
Nov. 4, 2016: Former Christie Allies Guilty on All Counts in George Washington Bridge Trial
Nov. 5, 2016: Chris Christie’s no good very bad year, told entirely by news headlines
Sources
Washington Post | Salon | Daily Beast | Think Progress | New York Times | Gawker | NJ.com | Slate | NBC News | WNYC | CNN | NorthJersey.com | Politico | Washington Times | ABC News | Mother Jones | News 12 New Jersey | Huffington Post | USA Today | Hollywood Reporter | Business Insider | New York Post | New York Magazine | NewsWorks | Wall Street Journal | The Hill | New York Daily News | Talking Points Memo | The Atlantic | Quartz | BuzzFeed | Vanity Fair | Philadelphia Inquirer | CNBC | Associated Press | Morning Consult | Village Voice | Gothamist | Raw Story