News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch rebuffed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's attempt not to politicize the response to Hurricane Sandy.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Christie praised President Obama's response to the storm. Murdoch responded by tweeting that Christie “while thanking O, must re-declare for Romney or take blame for next four dire years.” The Murdoch-owned New York Post went further, demanding that Christie say that Obama's response to Sandy “would have been more than matched by Mitt Romney had he been president.” The Post said that if Christie did not follow this advice, “the Republican Party will never forgive him.”

Now, The New York Times has reported that Murdoch's tweet prompted Christie to call Murdoch on November 3 to personally explain that “amid the devastation, New Jersey needed friends no matter their political party.” But Murdoch rebuffed Christie's explanation for why he had praised Obama and, according to the Times, bluntly told Christie that he “risked looking like a spoiler unless he publicly reaffirmed his support for Romney.” Following the call, Christie reiterated his support for Romney the following day.

From the New York Times:

On Nov. 3, Mr. Christie called Rupert Murdoch, the influential News Corporation chief and would-be kingmaker, who had warned in a biting post on Twitter that the governor might be responsible for Mr. Obama's re-election.

Mr. Christie told Mr. Murdoch that amid the devastation, New Jersey needed friends, no matter their political party, according to people briefed on the discussion. But Mr. Murdoch was blunt: Mr. Christie risked looking like a spoiler unless he publicly affirmed his support for Mitt Romney, something the governor did the next day.

Despite Christie's re-endorsement of Romney, personalities at Fox News -- which Murdoch owns -- and other right-wing media figures lashed out at Christie following Obama's reelection.