Chris Christie's TSA checkpoint perk at Newark’s airport as New Jersey governor was awkwardly yanked on Thursday and he was told to go through the same security screening the general public uses.
Christie, who was officially replaced as governor by Phil Murphy this week, attempted to go through a special access area located near the exit of a restricted area in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport, WCBS-TV reported, but he and his party were rebuffed.
The two-term Republican governor had used a similar VIP entrance for the past eight years that allowed him to bypass public Transportation Security Administration screening lines, a person familiar with the incident told Bloomberg News.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told WCBS-TV that one of its officers refused to let Christie, who was with his New Jersey state police detail at the time, pass because he was no longer allowed to use the access after leaving his governorship.
A source told the television station that the officer escorted Christie to the regular public screening entrance without incident, WCBS-TV said, noting that Christie cooperated throughout.
In two Twitter posts Thursday, Christie denied being rebuffed at the special entrance and that it was the entrance he used as governor.
ABC News reported that outgoing New Jersey governors are afforded a security escort for up to six months following completion of his or her term in office.
Christie, who was part of a large 2016 Republican presidential primary field before dropping out and endorsing President Donald Trump, has been leading Trump's commission on tackling the country's opioid crisis, The Hill reported.
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