Lesniak: ‘Cracking’ Christie Needs a Vacation, Meditation… and Investigation

After being called a "crazy quack and a "lunatic" by Chris Christie on Ask the Governor Monday night, Sen. Ray Lesniak fired back by saying the governor reminds him of a "Captain Queeg," cracking under pressure.

"I think the governor needs a good meditation practice. Or at least a vacation. He's had a bad year," the Democrat told WPG's sister station, New Jersey 101.5, Tuesday morning. "His dreams of being president were shattered. His dreams of being Trump's right hand go-to guy are gone. His approval rating in the state is below 20 percent and a judge has found probable cause that he has committed a crime of official misconduct."

Lesniak was referencing a Bergen County judge's decision last month that there was enough cause for a complaint alleging Christie had involvement in the "Bridgegate" George Washington Bridge lane closings to proceed.

"Everybody's a liar. He's lashing out at everybody. He reminds me of Captain Queeg from 'The Caine Mutiny,'" Lesniak said.

Christie, during Monday night's installment of "Ask The Governor" went on the attack against Bridgegate defendants Bridget Anne Kelly, former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey deputy director Bill Baroni and David Wildstein — after allegations in a trial for the former two that Christie knew about Bridgegate while it was going on — repeatedly calling them "felons." Wildstein has admitted his role in the lane closings, and Kelley and Baroni have both been convicted on several charges.

But Christie saved his sharpest barbs for the 70-year-old Democratic state senator from Elizabeth, who has been petitioning for a special prosecutor to investigate Christie's alleged involvement in the scandal.

"Listen, he’s crazy. He’s a quack. Stop, I’m not going to respond to it. He is a crazy quack. And everybody in the Statehouse knows that Ray Lesniak’s crazy, and they put up with him because he’s nuts,” Christie said.

Lesniak blamed Christie's harsh words on cracking under pressure.

"For some reason, and maybe because he has reason to be concerned, this special prosecutor call has hit a raw nerve with him," Lesniak said.

Why won’t more legislators sign on the call for special prosecutor?

“He will threaten, he’s vindictive, he will take them to the woodshed," Lesniak told Spadea.

Christie also called Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, who headed the Legislature’s investigatory committee, “partisan Democrat hacks."  He also disagreed with Monmouth County Senator Jennifer Beck's decision to co-sponsor Lesniak's bill calling for a special prosecutor,l calling her decison "unwise."

Michael Symons contributed to this report.