Fox Hypes Christie “Comeback” Amid Ongoing Bridge Scandal Investigations

Written by Olivia Marshall

Published

Fox News is helping New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) rehabilitate his political career even as investigations into the George Washington Bridge scandal continue, suggesting that Christie's appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) indicates a comeback for the governor.

While other conservative media figures have panned Christie's March 6 CPAC appearance, Fox celebrated the “standing ovation” he received and characterized the appearance as a “comeback.” Fox Nation proclaimed,“The Comeback Has Begun!”

On the March 7 edition of America's Newsroom, co-host Martha McCallum painted a sunny picture of Christie's reception at CPAC, saying, “Now, you know America loves a comeback kid, so is Chris Christie that comeback kid right now?” MacCallum went on to ponder Christie's 2016 presidential prospects: “And then you have Chris Christie, who says, 'Look, you know what? We have to win elections.' And he is seen as somebody who may have an easier time of it on a national stage.”

Later in the segment, MacCallum asked guest Stephen Sigmund, “If you were advising him, Stephen, what would you tell him to do from here on in to sort of get past this Bridgegate thing and put himself back on track?”

“This Bridgegate thing” caused Christie's popularity to plummet after news broke that his aides played a central role in shutting down several lanes of the George Washington Bridge for four days in September, intentionally triggering disastrous traffic jams in the town of Fort Lee as a means of political retribution.  

Christie's chances of getting past the scandal soon, as MacCallum suggests, seem thin -- it is still being investigated by both the New Jersey Legislature and the FBI as evidence linking Christie to the lane closures builds.

Fox has gone through extraordinary lengths to shield Christie, who is widely presumed to be running for president in 2016, from the scandal's fallout, even complaining that the media won't simply move on from the scandal. Indeed, Fox's history of cozy relationships with Republican presidential contenders is well-documented.