Following the release of a report on the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal on Thursday, both critics of the governor and friends of his former aide claim the details are based in sexism, the New York Times reported.
In the recent report, lawyers for embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie argue he was not responsible for the traffic jam plot that occurred last fall.
"Governor Christie's account of these events rings true. It's corroborated by many witnesses, and he has conducted himself at every turn as someone who has nothing to hide," the report said.
"We uncovered nothing contradicting the governor's account."
The report does place blame on Christie's former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official David Wildstein. However, the narrative on Kelly, compared to Wildstein's, has been criticized by several people.
"This report was meant to whitewash Governor Christie's reputation as a bully, but it actually confirms that he does embrace a culture of intimidation and retaliation," said Lis Smith, a Democratic consultant who worked for the candidate Christie defeated in 2009, Gov. Jon Corzine. "He's throwing every sexist slur at Kelly while needlessly and aggressively injecting details about her personal life. It's a cynical attempt to distract from the real story."
Smith is referring to the phrases included in the report claiming Kelly "seemed emotional" and was "habitually concerned about how she was perceived by the governor."
Though the report does not suggest how these descriptions of character influenced her to cause the traffic jam, it somehow concludes that "events in her personal life may have had some bearing on her subjective motivations and state of mind."
Friends of Kelly are just as disappointed by the report's comments.
"Anybody that knows Bridget knows that she's always been a by-the-book mom with four kids," said a friend who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A second friend denied accusations that Kelly was distracted by a her personal life.
"I'd want her to commandeer the ship through a storm - that's just how steady she is," the friend said.
