Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently showered his one-time campaign manager, Bill Stepien, now President Donald Trump’s campaign manager, with praise despite firing him in 2014 over the “Bridgegate” scandal.
“I’ve never seen anyone in politics who’s worked as hard as Bill Stepien,” Christie said in an interview with The Washington Post’s Robert Costa on Friday. “One of the things I said in the aftermath of his appointment is there will not be a detail that will fall through the cracks with Bill Stepien in charge.”
Christie dismissed Stepien after he and other New Jersey officials at the time orchestrated the closing of a bridge to create traffic in a town whose mayor had declined to endorse the then-governor’s reelection campaign.
“I was disturbed by the tone and behavior and attitude of callous indifference that was displayed in the emails by my former campaign manager, Bill Stepien,” Christie said during a 2014 press conference about Bridgegate, referring to emails between Stepien and staffers that were exposed to the public. “And reading that, it made me lose my confidence in Bill’s judgment. And you cannot have someone at the top of your political operation who you do not have confidence in.”
Stepien later became field director in Trump’s 2016 campaign before becoming his political director in 2017. He recently replaced Trump’s former campaign manager, Brad Parscale, in the role.
“I think what the president has done is bought himself a point and a half or two in all these key states by having Bill Stepien in charge,” Christie said on Friday.
“He will work 18 hours a day, he will inspire the people around him to work almost as hard,” he added.