Christie's Crisis Performance: Textbook Case Study

This morning New Jersey Governor Chris Christie gave America a textbook perfect example of how to handle a potential crisis of confidence.
He was direct. He was forthright. He was decisive.
The Governor also assumed full responsibility and sincerely apologized to the people of his state and al those affected.
And he did it all with characteristic authenticity, clarity and, where appropriate, good humor.
We certainly hope that public relations aficionados were watching (as we were) because Governor Christie clearly showed us how it's done. He hit all of the marks we laid out for him yesterday -- and then some. It was an incredible display of maturity, stamina and leadership.

The governor clearly jumped out in front of a scandal that some say threatens the viability of his administration as well as any hopes he’s harbored for a GOP presidential bid in 2016.
He announced he has dismissed the top aide who may have plotted the controversial lane closures on the George Washington Bridge.
The governor also forced his two-time campaign manager to take his name out of the running to lead New Jersey’s Republican party.
Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff who sent an email to then-Port Authority official David Wildstein that read “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” – was fired. Since the incident, Wildstein has resigned.
And Bill Stepien – who was just named as the new head the state GOP on Tuesday - is out of that position and also lost a contract with the Republican Governor’s Association, which Christie leads.

Excerpts from Christie's remarks today:

I come here to apologize to the people of New Jersey, to the people of Fort Lee and the members of the state legislature. I am embarrassed and humiliated by some of the people on my team. They showed a lack of respect for their role in government and the people they were trusted to serve.

I believe that all of the people who were affected by this conduct deserve this apology. I apologize for my failure as Governor to understand the true nature of this problem.

Bridget Kelly lied to me and I’ve terminated her employment effective immediately.

The e-mails proved this was a lie. There’s no justification for that behavior. There’s no justification for lying to a Governor or anyone who’s in authority in this government.

I’ve started to have one-on-one discussions with members of my executive staff to determine if there’s anything else that I need to know. If other actions need to be taken with regard to my executive staff, I will do so.

I am heartbroken that someone who I’ve permitted to be in a circle of trust for the last five years betrayed my trust.

I would never have come out here and made a joke about lane closures if I had any inkling that someone on my staff would be so stupid as to be involved in something like this.

I am sad to report to the people of New jersey that we fell short. We fell short of the expectations that we’ve created.

I promised the people of New Jersey effective government but I never promised them a perfect government.

This made me lose my confidence in Bill Stepien’s judgment. Bill Stepien will not be considered for state party chairman and he will lose his contract with the Republican Governor’s Association. Bill has been one of my closest advisors over the last five years and I am sad to have to take this action but I have a job to do and I can never allow personal feelings or long-standing relationships to get in the way of doing my job.

Ultimately, I am responsible for what happened under my watch – the good and the bad. And when mistakes are made I have to own up to them.

I was blindsided yesterday morning.

I’m gonna continue this process.

I couldn’t get it all done yesterday.

And I will take appropriate action if necessary.

Later today I will go to Fort Lee and apologize to the mayor, face to face and apologize to the people of Fort Lee in their town.

This is not the tone that I’ve set over the last four years in this building.

This is not the environment that I’ve worked so hard to achieve.

I am extraordinarily disappointed by this. But this is the exception; it is not the rule for what has happened over these last four years.

People, I think, all across this state understand is that human beings are not perfect and mistakes are made. People expect that when information such as this comes into my procession that I act accordingly.

Actions have consequences.

I had no knowledge of this in its planning or execution and I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was involved with this.

I thank the people in their willingness to consider my apology.

I have 65,000 people working for me every day and I cannot know what they are doing every minute of every day. But that does not change the fact that I am responsible.

It is heartbreaking to me that I wasn’t told the truth. I’m a very loyal guy and I expect loyalty in return. Lying to me is not an exhibition of loyalty.

I don’t have any evidence before me as we speak that it went beyond this incident but I can’t tell you for sure that that’s so.

I knew nothing about this until it started being reported in the papers and even then I was told that there was a traffic study.

It’s clear now that in the minds of some people there were political overtones or side deals on this and that’s unacceptable.

There’s this reputation of me being a micromanager. I’m not. I delegate enormous authority to my staff and my cabinet.

I don’t necessarily know what every independent agency or authority is doing at any given time.

[The] Mayor [of Fort Lee] was never on my radar screen. I don’t know this guy. I may have met him in a greeting line or at a Town Hall or some way like that. I believe he said on TV last night that he was never asked for his endorsement. I never saw this as political retribution because I didn’t think he did anything to us. . . . Until I saw his picture last night on television I wouldn’t have been able to pick him out of a lineup.

I’m heartbroken and I’m incredibly disappointed. I don’t think I’ve gotten to the angry stage yet but I’ll get there. But I’m stunned. . . . I’m wondering: What did I do wrong to have these folks lie to me?

I’m sick over this.

I haven’t had a lot of sleep over the last two nights and I’m soul-searching.

One employee’s who has  lied does not determine the character of the employees around you.

I have not had any conversations with Bridget Kelly since the e mails came out.

You can’t prevent everything. But the test of leadership is: When you find it out; what do you do?

My job is to be Governor of New Jersey. My focus is on the people of New Jersey and the job that they gave me.

I’m sad. I’m sad. That’s the predominant emotion that I feel right now.

It is true that I met David [Wildstein] in 1977 while we were in high school. But we were not friends in high school. We were not even acquaintances in high school. I met David in the Tom Kean for Governor campaign in 1977. We didn’t travel in the same circles in high school. We reacquainted years later. We went 23 years without seeing each other. Bill Baroni wanted to bring David to the Port Authority and I gave permission for that. . . . But the things I read yesterday in those e-mails [that David wrote] made me angry. That’s the one bit of anger that I’ve already felt.

I don’t believe I’ve lost the trust of the people of New Jersey. 

I assume over a period of time that most people are trustworthy unless proven otherwise.

Did I miss it? We missed it. That’s why we’re here, right?

I have absolutely nothing to hide. So anybody who wants to ask me any questions can ask – from law enforcement or otherwise. So, I have nothing to hide and this administration has nothing to hide.

I was blindsided by this. I’m not happy that I was blindsided. I’m not proud that I was blindsided. I am humiliated by the fact that I did not know this and I was deceived.

I had nothing to do with this.

It’s incredibly disappointing to have people let you down this way.

If there’s any action that needs to be taken going forward, I will take it – no matter how much it hurts me personally or dismays me.