Politics

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walks to the podium before a news conference Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. Christie has fired a top aide who engineered political payback against a town mayor, saying she lied. Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly is the latest casualty in a widening scandal that threatens to upend Christie's second term and likely run for president in 2016. Documents show she arranged traffic jams to punish the mayor, who didn't endorse Christie for re-election. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie enters a news conference Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. Christie has fired a top aide who engineered political payback against a town mayor, saying she lied. Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly is the latest casualty in a widening scandal that threatens to upend Christie's second term and likely run for president in 2016. Documents show she arranged traffic jams to punish the mayor, who didn't endorse Christie for re-election. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a news conference Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. A day after revelations that Christie's administration may have closed highway lanes to exact political retribution, the prospective Republican presidential candidate is faced with what may be the biggest test in his political career. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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President Barack Obama winks at Kiara Molina, 14, of Harlem, with the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy, as she introduces him as "my President," at an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, where the president spoke about the Promise Zones Initiative. The Promise Zone Initiative is part of a plan to create a better bargain for the middle-class by partnering with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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President Barack Obama speaks about his Promise Zones Initiative, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. The Promise Zone Initiative is part of a plan to create a better bargain for the middle-class by partnering with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pauses while meeting with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. Boehner says he believes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie remains a serious contender for the Republican 2016 presidential nomination, despite the traffic jam scandal engulfing the New Jersey governor. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. Boehner says he believes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie remains a serious contender for the Republican 2016 presidential nomination, despite the traffic jam scandal engulfing the New Jersey governor. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Mesa, Arizona Mayor Scott Smith, a Republican, leaves the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 in Phoenix after Smith filed paperwork to enter the Arizona Governor's race. Smith said his experience as a business leader and leader of the state's third-largest city makes him a standout choice for the nomination. (AP Photo/Matt York)