“I’ve by no means seen anybody in politics who’s labored as arduous as Invoice Stepien,” Christie stated. “One of many issues I stated within the
“I’ve by no means seen anybody in politics who’s labored as arduous as Invoice Stepien,” Christie stated. “One of many issues I stated within the aftermath of his appointment is there is not going to be a element that may fall via the cracks with Invoice Stepien in cost.”
Christie’s heat endorsement of Stepien stood in stark distinction to his evaluation of Stepien in 2014, when the previous New Jersey governor was embroiled in a political scandal involving the closure of visitors lanes on the George Washington Bridge connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, to New York Metropolis. The lane closures have been orchestrated as payback by members of Christie’s administration directed at Fort Lee’s mayor, who had declined to endorse Christie’s 2013 reelection.
“I used to be disturbed by the tone and habits and perspective of callous indifference that was displayed within the emails by my former marketing campaign supervisor, Invoice Stepien,” Christie stated in a information convention addressing Bridgegate in 2014. “And studying that, it made me lose my confidence in Invoice’s judgment. And you can’t have somebody on the high of your political operation who you don’t have confidence in.”
Stepien was ousted from Christie’s staff on account of the controversy. He had instructed Christie that he knew nothing concerning the lane closures on the bridge, a declare later uncovered by emails that confirmed Stepien making enjoyable of Fort Lee and the visitors congestion created by the bridge scheme.
Stepien nonetheless managed to work his manner again up the ranks of Republican politics, serving as subject director function within the 2016 Trump marketing campaign and later as Trump’s political director in 2017.
In mid-July, Stepien was chosen to guide Trump’s reelection effort within the place of Brad Parscale, who stays with the marketing campaign accountable for its digital operation. Christie instructed the Washington Put up on Friday that he credit Stepien with engineering Trump’s upset victory in 2016 and backed his former aide to do it once more in November.
“I believe what the president has achieved is purchased himself some extent and a half or two in all these key states by having Invoice Stepien in cost,” Christie stated.
Christie additionally gushed about Stepien’s work ethic.
“He’ll work 18 hours a day, he’ll encourage the folks round him to work virtually as arduous,” Christie instructed the Washington Put up.