NJ Gov. Chris Christie

Photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC-BY-SA)

Chris Christie blasted after photographer catches him on public beach closed due to government shutdown

Is it any wonder the New Jersey governor has a 15 percent approval rating?

 

Andrew Wyrich

Tech

Posted on Jul 3, 2017   Updated on May 23, 2021, 1:06 am CDT

A government shutdown in New Jersey may have closed state-controlled beaches for millions of people hoping to catch some sun over the holiday weekend, but it didn’t stop Gov. Chris Christie from enjoying the shore.

The Star-Ledger, one of New Jersey’s largest newspapers, snapped a photo of the deeply unpopular Republican governor hanging out with his family on Sunday on Island Beach State Park, a large beach that was closed to the public this weekend as part of the state’s government shutdown—a result of Christie and state lawmakers being unable to reach a consensus on a budget deal.

Christie ordered the government shutdown on Friday, just days before the public beaches and parks were expected to be filled with beachgoers ahead of the July 4th weekend.

Christie, dressed in sandals and T-shirt in the photographs, was photographed by a Ledger photographer who flew on a private plane to snap the pictures of the governor and his family using the popular beach spot while the public was unable to.

When pressed by reporters whether Christie “got any sun” on Sunday, the governor denied it—with his spokesperson later adding that the governor was wearing a hat, so he did not soak up any rays during his beach trip.

Christie said he was spending time with his family at a beach house available for use by New Jersey’s governor.

Much like his friend President Donald Trump, Christie tried the blame-the-media tactic following the photos surfacing of him using a beach that no one else could use because of the government shutdown.

According to Poynter, shortly after Star-Ledger photographer Andy Mills snapped pictures of Christie, he left the beach to depart for the state capitol to address reporters and work on the government shutdown.

The irony of the governor enjoying time at a beach that had been closed because of a government shutdown he was partly responsible for causing was not lost by people on Twitter.

Is it any wonder that Christie’s approval rating is at 15 percent?

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*First Published: Jul 3, 2017, 9:01 am CDT