Christie Ready To Mend Fences With Dem Leader Sweeney
TRENTON, NJ (WCBS 880/AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie says he's not offended by the profanity-laced tirade directed at him by the Democrat who leads the New Jersey Senate.
Just a few weeks ago, Senate President Stephen Sweeney said he wanted to punch governor Chris Christie in the head, but now it looks like the two may have smoothed things over.
WCBS 880's Levon Putney reports: Christie Says He And Sweeney Still Friends
Podcast
"Senator Sweeney and I have a passionate relationship," said Christie.
Sweeney exploded with a few choice words, calling the governor "a bully and a punk" after Christie cut $1.3 billion from the budget Democrats had sent him.
Governor Christie says they're still friends. "When you have a passionate relationship like that, sometimes people get over emotional," he said, adding that things said in the heat of an emotional battle should be forgiven.
Still, Sweeney apologizes for his language but not to the governor. He says Christie's cuts hurt the state's most vulnerable.
"They are the really sick, old people who now have to pay co-pays when they are the poorest and oldest," Sweeney said.
But lawmakers say they will consider the governor's push to restore transitional aid to poorer cities.
(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
