Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) doubled down Wednesday on his attacks over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) “Bridgegate” scandal, saying his rival for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination has proven his poor judgment.
“It stretches credulity to think that he knew nothing about the bridge,” Paul said on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom.”
“I think it goes to judgment,” he added. “If he didn’t know anything about it, it goes to judgment in picking the individuals. If you’re willing to close a bridge down, it goes to judgment.”
{mosads}Paul revived the largely defunct “Bridgegate” scandal during the fifth GOP presidential debate on Tuesday evening, mentioning the controversial 2013 closure of the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey while criticizing Christie’s foreign policy.
“I think when we think about the judgment of someone who might want World War III, we might think about someone who might shut down a bridge because they don’t like their friends,” Paul said during the contest in Las Vegas.
Christie has repeatedly denied knowledge of any wrongdoing during the incident two years ago. Critics have alleged that Christie’s staff closed lanes along the bridge as revenge for the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee not endorsing his 2013 reelection bid.
The George Washington Bridge is the most heavily traveled bridge in the U.S., carrying more than 100 million vehicles a year.
Reports emerged last week that New Jersey has amassed about $8 million in legal fees investigating the controversial closure. The law firm Gibson Dunn released a 350-page report in 2014 exonerating Christie of any wrongdoing.
Christie’s former deputy chief of staff and a top Port Authority appointee, meanwhile, are facing criminal charges for their roles in the incident.