NEW JERSEY: Chris Christie Roasted After Sunning On Beach He Ordered Closed Over Budget Impasse

The New York Times reports:

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey provoked widespread ridicule as pictures emerged of him and his family sunning themselves on an empty beach that had been closed during the holiday weekend because of a state government shutdown.

Mr. Christie was shown in aerial photographs relaxing in a beach chair on Sunday at the governor’s official retreat in Island Beach State Park. The pictures were taken by The Star-Ledger of New Jersey.

Mr. Christie gave a ho-hum response when questioned by reporters Saturday about going to the beachside retreat at such a politically sensitive time, as a budget standoff forced the shutdown of the state government.

“That’s just the way it goes,” Mr. Christie said. “Run for governor, and you can have a residence.” His outing came as the state park police were turning away families who arrived at the beach’s main gate hoping to spend the day by the ocean.

More from NPR:



That afternoon, at a press conference in Trenton about the shutdown, Christie was asked if he had gotten any sun that day, the newspaper reports. “I didn’t,” he reportedly said. “I didn’t get any sun today.”

After being told there were photos of the governor on the beach, his spokesman told the Star-Ledger that the governor was briefly on the beach talking to his family. “He did not get any sun,” the spokesman added. “He had a baseball hat on.”