I Thought He Had Lost Weight

Fired aide was on Christie's team from the start

By ANGELA DELLI SANTI8 hours ago

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In this Sept. 12, 2013 photo provided by the Office of the Governor of New Jersey, Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly, right, stands with Gov. Chris Christie, left, during a tour of the Seaside Heights, N.J. boardwalk after it was hit by a massive fire. Christie fired Kelly Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, and apologized over and over for his staff's "stupid" behavior, insisting during a nearly two-hour news conference that he had no idea anyone around him had engineered traffic jams as part of a political vendetta against a Democratic mayor. (AP Photo/Office of Gov. Chris Christie, Tim Larsen)

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The aide Gov. Chris Christie fired as an investigation widened into traffic tie-ups she orchestrated had been part of his administration from the start.

Christie announced Thursday that Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly had been fired "because she lied to me."

Recently released emails show Kelly gave the go-ahead for lane closures approaching the George Washington Bridge that snarled traffic in a New Jersey town, slowed emergency vehicles and delayed school buses the first week of classes.

The 41-year-old Kelly landed a spot with Christie in 2010 after he defeated incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine, but did not work on his campaign.

She was promoted to deputy chief of staff in A