Chris Christie fires senior aide over political revenge scandal Mr Christie said on Thursday Ms Kelly had promised him this was true. "I've terminated her employment because she lied to me," he said, claiming to be "heartbroken" by her betrayal. "I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or its execution," said Mr Christie. And I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here. His remarks came after it emerged that medics rushing to an unconscious elderly woman in Fort Lee were stuck in a jam caused by the closures of lanes to the George Washington bridge, which connects New Jersey with New York. The woman later died of a cardiac arrest at a hospital. At least three other ambulances were delayed by the closures. Police have also complained that their search for a missing four-year-old child was hindered. The child was eventually found. Paul Fishman, the state's most senior federal prosecutor, said yesterday that his office was investigating whether laws had been broken. Aside from more serious potential charges, the use of government resources for political purposes is illegal. The emails showed Christie aides mocking Mr Sokolich's frantic calls about the jams and dismissing school pupils stuck in gridlocked buses as "children of Buono voters." Mr Christie went on to beat Barbara Buono, his Democratic opponent, comfortably in November's election. After a day spent preparing his response, he insisted on Thursday that he had "no inkling" of his staff's involvement in the closures until the emails were published on Wednesday morning. "This is not the tone that I've set over the last four years in this building," he said. Yet he was forced to insist "I am not a bully," as the crisis threatened his carefully-crafted image as a viable US president who forges bipartisan relationships to solve problems while unprecedented political division paralyses Washington. Other senior advisers were copied into the emails at some points, prompting allegations that they reflected widespread practice. Mr Christie said he had instructed one adviser, campaign manager Bill Stepien, to withdraw his nomination to be chairman of the New Jersey Republican party. "It's going to be very difficult to convince the public he was out of touch with what was going on," said Bob Ingle, Mr Christie's biographer. And if he were, is he going to look like the in-charge guy that people are after? Ms Kelly's emailed order for "some traffic problems in Fort Lee" was executed by David Wildstein, a schoolmate of Mr Christie whom he appointed to the port authority. Mr Wildstein resigned last month, saying the saga was a "distraction" for Mr Christie. Mr Christie insists that even then he suspected no further wrongdoing. He said yesterday that he and Mr Wildstein were not friends at school, and that he did not even know who Mr Sokolich, the Fort Lee mayor was, nor care about not having his endorsement. Mr Wildstein on Thursday invoked his constitutional right to remain silent rather than testify to a panel of state legislators about the saga, after being ordered to appear before them and having his attempt to refuse rejected by a judge.