After bridge scandal, NJ Gov booed at Super Bowl

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie sits on stage during the Super Bowl hand-off ceremony on Super Bowl Boulevard in Times Square, as part of the Super Bowl lead up in New York February 1, 2014.  [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was greeted with audible boos and a few loud cheers during a Super Bowl-related appearance in New York City on Saturday, a day after a former appointee said the popular Republican knew about politically motivated lane closures near a busy commuter bridge.

The incident cast a cloud over Christie at what could have been a moment of triumph for man considered a leading candidate for his party's nomination to run for president in 2016. The Super Bowl will be played on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The governor's introduction was met with a chorus of audible boos and chants of support from the thousands of people gathered in the area for a Super Bowl street fair.

He did not mention the scandal during brief remarks in which he thanked the NFL and his New York counterpart and Super Bowl co-host, Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The negative public sentiment was unusual for Christie, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association who coasted to re-election as governor in November with 60 percent of the vote.

In the weeks since starting his second term, Christie has been dogged by scandal since it emerged last month that some of his aides and appointees orchestrated traffic jams around the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey. State and federal investigations have been launched into the lane closures in September, which came after the town's Democratic mayor declined to endorse the governor's re-election bid.

Christie has adamantly denied any knowledge of the lane closures and cut ties with two of his top advisers for their apparent role in the scheme.

David Wildstein, a long-time Christie acquaintance and one of his appointees at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which managed the bridge, resigned from his post after it emerged he oversaw the closures.

On Friday, an attorney for Wildstein said "evidence exists" Christie knew of the closures when they were happening. The letter did not indicate Christie involved himself in the closures in any way, did not specify exactly when he became aware of the jams and offered no evidence to back up the claim.

As Christie attended Super Bowl events on Saturday, his office fired back against Wildstein with a vigorous defense of the governor.

The email to the governor's friends and supporters accused Wildstein of seeking immunity amid an ongoing probe by state lawmakers and a U.S. attorney into the shutdown. "Bottom line - David Wildstein will do and say anything to save David Wildstein," the email stated.

The email entitled "5 Things You Should Know About the Bombshell That's Not A Bombshell," was posted on the political news website Politico.com and confirmed by Colin Reed, a spokesman for the governor.

The email also took aim at Wildstein's credibility.

Wildstein's lawyer, Alan Zegas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the email.

Wildstein on Friday said he could "prove the inaccuracy" of some of Christie's denials.

The letter describes the order to close the lanes as coming from "the Christie administration," but does not say that Christie himself orchestrated the closures in any way.