Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus says a traffic jam scandal won’t disqualify New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie from running for president.

Appearing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Priebus says Republican primary voters could move past the scandal that has ensnared the administration as polls show Christie as a top contender in 2016.

Priebus says: “Americans are a very forgiving people.”

He says Christie demonstrated leadership by holding a lengthy news conference Thursday to apologize for his staff’s behavior.

The chairman says, “We all make mistakes.” He says, “The real question is: What do you do when mistakes happen?”

Christie fired the top aide who gave the go-ahead to shut down lanes to the George Washington Bridge and cut ties with one of his top campaign advisers.

(AP)