Chris Christie Responds To Photos Of Him Sunning At A Beach Closed By Government Shutdown

The state government of New Jersey was shut down Friday by Gov. Chris Christie after the legislature failed to pass a budget. The shutdown closed many tourist attractions ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend and furloughed more than 30,000 state employees. One of the closed attractions that people couldn’t get to was Island Beach State Park, unless of course, you were part of the Christie family.

NJ Advance Media, the operators of the New Jersey Star-Ledger chartered an airplane to fly one of their photojournalists over the beach Sunday. The beach is near the governor’s official summer house and they caught the governor taking in some summer sun.

READ: July 4th Fireworks In New Jersey Canceled? Chris Christie Says It's Possible

Christie defended himself Monday in a phone call to Fox-5 in New York, and admonished the Star-Ledger.

“The governor is allowed to go to his residences, and I'm at my residences. What a great bit of journalism by The Star-Ledger,” Christie said. “They actually caught a politician being where he said he was going to be with the people he said he was going to be with: his wife and children and their friends. I'm sure they will get a Pulitzer for this one.”

The Governor was also got lying about sunbathing as well.

The governor was asked if he had gotten to the beach later in the day on Sunday during a news conference about the shutdown.

“I didn't,” he said. “I didn't get any sun today.”

When the Star-Ledger told the governor’s spokesperson Brian Murray about the photos, they changed their tune.

“Yes, the governor was on the beach briefly today talking to his wife and family before heading into the office,” said Murray to the Star-Ledger.

Murray also tried to slip out on a technicality.

“He did not get any sun,” Murray added. “He had a baseball hat on.”

The day before on Saturday when asked if it about going to the beach house made sense during a government shutdown, the bombastic governor wasn’t shy.

“That’s just the way it goes,” said Christie in a news conference. “Run for governor, and you can have a residence.”

READ: 27 July 4th Quotes And Sayings For Independence Day 2017 That Inspire Freedom

The governor’s tenure ends in January after eight years in the job. Christie mounted a failed presidential bid in 2016 but threw his support behind Donald Trump when he bowed out. A Morning Consult poll in April found Christie to be the least liked governor netting a 71 percent disapproval rating.

Christie gained infamy during a scandal in 2013 known as “Bridgegate” when a Christie staffer colluded to create a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee, New Jersey as a retribution to the town’s mayor.