1 / 21

Bridgegate - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie held a lengthy press conference on Jan. 9 to respond to the growing scandal surrounding the impromptu four-day closure of two lanes on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge, reportedly the world's busiest. Here's the scoop on the scandal and a few of Christie's most memorable quotes. –  Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

2 / 21

Why Should You Care? - Moderate Republicans had high hopes for Christie and the 2016 presidential election. Despite his tough guy façade, he has been able to build bipartisan coalitions within the Garden State and handily won re-election with the support of a majority of African-Americans. Yeah, the election is two years away, but not too soon to consider whether he deserves to be president.(Photo: AP Photo/The Record of Bergen County, Tyson Trish)

3 / 21

Why It Matters - The closure caused delays for school buses, first responders and people heading to New York City. It also slowed efforts of paramedics trying to reach an unconscious 91-year-old woman who later died at the hospital. EMS officials say the delay didn't directly cause her death, but there will likely be questions. (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

4 / 21

Implausible Explanation - The Port Authority said it was conducting a "traffic study." (Photo: Richard Drew/AP Photo)

5 / 21

What Really Happened - Top aides to Christie allegedly closed the lanes to settle a score against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolitch, a Democrat who refused to endorse Christie's 2013 bid for re-election. The governor's aides vehemently denied, however, that it was an act of revenge. (Photo: Eric ThayerLandov/Reuters)

6 / 21

First Response - "I was the guy out there, in overalls and a hat. I actually was the guy working the cones out there. You really are not serious with that question," Christie said to WNYC when asked about his involvement with the lane closures.(Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

7 / 21

Smoking Gun - "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," top Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly wrote in an email to David Wildstein, director of interstate capital projects at the Port Authority. "Got it," Wildstein replied. These and other damaging emails came to light on Jan. 8, turning the situation into a full-blown scandal. (Photo: Reuters /North Jersey Media Group /LANDOV)

8 / 21

Embarrassed and Humiliated - "I come out here today to apologize to the people of New Jersey. I apologize to the people of Fort Lee and I apologize to the members of the state Legislature. I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team," Christie said at the press conference to address the issue.(Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

9 / 21

Blindsided - "I was blindsided yesterday morning. …I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or its execution, and I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here, regardless of what the facts ultimately uncover," Christie said. (Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

10 / 21

And Sad - "I'm sad. I'm sad. That's the predominant emotion I feel right now is sadness, sadness that I was betrayed by a member of my staff, sadness that I had people who I entrusted with important jobs who acted completely inappropriately, sad that that's led the people of New Jersey to have less confidence in the people that I've selected," Christie told reporters.(Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

11 / 21

Girl, Bye - "I terminated [Bridget Kelly's] employment because she lied to me. … I have not had any conversation with [her] since the e-mail came out. And so she was not given the opportunity to explain to me why she lied because it was so obvious that she had. And I'm, quite frankly, not interested in the explanation (Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

12 / 21

Who's Smiling Now? - "Is it wrong that I'm smiling?" read a message sent to Wildstein, who responded, "No." A judge ordered the former Port Authority official to testify before a panel of state lawmakers investigating the scandal on Jan. 9, It is just the start of legal troubles for Wildstein, who pleaded the fifth in response to lawmakers' questions and then was charged with contempt. (Photo: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

13 / 21

I Am Not a Bully - "I feel passionately about issues, and I don't hide my emotions from people. I am not a focus-group tested, blow-dried candidate or governor. Now, that has always made some people, as you know, uneasy. Some people like that style, some people don't. ... But I am not a bully," Christie said, explaining his sometimes gruff demeanor. (Photo: Mel Evans/AP Photo)

14 / 21

The First of Suits to Come - A group six residents from the county where Fort Lee is located has filed a class-action civil lawsuit against Christie. They are seeking compensation for wages lost because they arrived late to work due to the lane closures. One of the plaintiffs suffered a panic attack during the traffic jam, Associated Press reports.(Photo: ERIC THAYER/LANDOV)

15 / 21

Meme - Political talking heads on both sides of the ideological aisle were struck by how Christie focused more on his feelings of sadness, anger, embarrassment, etc., than how the lane closures affected commuters and first responders. According to Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, in his opening remarks Christie said “I” 114 times and “me” or “my” 42 times. (Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

16 / 21

Silence on the Right - Few notable Republicans have stepped forward to defend or support Christie. With so many questions, such as what led the governor's aides to take such drastic steps, they are unwilling to do so until more details emerge.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

17 / 21

Makes You Wonder - The bridge scandal has got people thinking. If the governor's aides were willing to go so far to punish Fort Lee, what did they give to Christie's supporters? Did they, for example, reward those who endorsed his re-election bid with more Hurricane Sandy relief and penalize others? (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

18 / 21

The Feds Step In - The U.S. attorney for New Jersey has announced that his office will investigate the lane closures to "determine whether a federal law was implicated."(Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

19 / 21

A Political Pothole - The New Jersey Star Ledger is conducting a poll about whether the bridge scandal will affect Christie's chances in the 2016 race for the GOP presidential nomination. Twenty-four hours after he ended his apology press conference, about 62 percent of respondents said the scandal will hurt him.(Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

20 / 21

Shaq's Still Got His Back - "I believe him," basketball legend and New Jersey native Shaquille O'Neal told TMZ. “When you have a lot of employees, it’s kind of very difficult to police everybody. Some leaders let people police themselves and some of them micromanage and try to police everybody. One thing I know about Christie: He’s not a micromanager.” (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

21 / 21

In Other News - The inspector general at U.S. Housing and Urban Development is now investigating an ad promoting tourism on the Jersey Shore post-Hurricane Sandy that features Christie and his family. The question is whether tax-payer dollars were used to boost the governor's election-year image. The ad cost $2 million more than another one without the Christie family. (Photo: Stronger than the Storm via YouTube)

Photo By Photo: Stronger than the Storm via YouTube