Governor Chris Christie, who is a hopeful contender for the presidency in 2016, had some harsh words for President Obama at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this week, taking shots at Obama’s leadership skills while speaking about national defense.

“Leadership is not about standing on the sidelines and spit-balling…We need to make sure we say we are for America being a leader in the world and we are for a strong national defense, not one that allows other countries to run us over all over the world,” Christie said.

Christie, who is still in the midst of the “Bridgegate” scandal, reportedly got a good reception at this year’s convention. The New Jersey governor has repeatedly denied any knowledge of wrongdoing regarding the lane closings near the George Washington Bridge last year, but Port Authority appointee David Wildstein said recently that Christie not only knew beforehand, his administration ordered it as retaliation against the mayor for not endorsing Christie for a second term.

Christie’s former Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, reportedly sent an email to Wildstein last year that read, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” Soon after, several lanes were closed between the town and the bridge, causing major headaches for commuters, school buses, and emergency personnel. Christie fired Kelly after the emails were leaked earlier this year and released a statement saying he was not aware of what was going on within his administration.

“What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions,” he said in a statement.

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