New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the aide he fired for lying about her involvement in a political payback scandal would have been dismissed even if she’d told the truth.

The aide, Bridget Kelly, was fired in January after emails revealed she set a traffic jam plot in motion with an email in which she says, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

A resident at a town hall with Christie on Thursday told the governor he should have fired Kelly for tying up traffic, which delayed school buses and emergency vehicles.

It’s the first time the governor has been asked by a resident at a town hall about the plot, apparently orchestrated by Christie loyalists to target a Democrat. Christie has denied involvement.

(AP)