Christie keeps low profile as Dems attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is maintaining a low profile as the nation's governors gather in Washington.
Republican officials eagerly change the subject as Democrats link Christie's troubles to vulnerable GOP governors in a challenging election season.
Christie is scheduled to attend just one public event over the three-day annual meeting. He avoided a media-sponsored forum on Friday, isn't granting interviews and won't attend a White House dinner for governors.
He's even skipping a news conference hosted by the governors association he leads.
Officially, Christie is leaving Washington early to celebrate his daughter's birthday and focus on an upcoming budget address. But his advisers privately acknowledge a larger effort to reduce media coverage of ongoing abuse-of-power investigations in New Jersey that threaten to derail his political ambitions.
