Chris Christie Talks Sandy Aid at Event He Cancelled Over Bridge-Gate Revelations

Watch: Chris Christie Talks Sandy Aid at Event He Canceled over Bridgegate Revelations (Mediaite)

Embattled Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) canceled an event in Stafford Township, New Jersey last week when documents revealed that officials in his administration had participated in a political retribution scheme that’s now known as Bridgegate. Gov. Christie spoke at the rescheduled event today, on a subject that may become the next front in the scandal’s narrative: Hurricane Sandy aid.

In the wake of the Bridgegate revelations, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer (D-NJ) revealed that her town had received less than 1% of the Sandy relief funds it had applied for, despite having been one of the hardest hit areas of the state, with over 80% of the city underwater following the storm. Zimmer wondered, in light of the Fort Lee lane closures, if this could have been another form of retribution for her failure to endorse Christie’s reelection bid.

Additionally, housing advocacy groups have reported that there is a huge racial disparity in rejections of applications for resettlement grants, with a rejection rate of 38.1 percent among African-Americans and 20.4 percent among Hispanic applicants, versus 14.5 percent for white applicants.