Chis Christie: My Kids 'Hurt' By Beachgate Criticism

When Gov. Chris Christie took the heat for spending a day at the beach, his kids took the blame.

That's why Christie is saying his kids were hurt the most when he received nationwide criticism for going to a shut-down state beach during a state government shutdown about a month ago.

"That incident was, in these eight years, the most hurtful incident to my children," Christie said during an "Ask the Governor" segment on NJ 101.5 Thursday (see video below).

Christie was spotted by an aerial photographer who took snapshots of the governor and his family while they relaxed at Island Beach State Park during the July 4 holiday weekend.

The moment has been much-ridiculed on social media and by late-night comedians and others, and the image of him sitting in a beach chair has found itself become the subject of numerous Internet memes.

Christie said his kids were having a special celebration for themselves and their friends, and later told the governor that they should have reconsidered.

"They blamed themselves," Christie said. "They came to me and said, ' It's our fault. We should have just told you that we would just tell all our friends to go away.' "

The governor, however, said he took responsibility for the decision but didn't apologize for it, noting that he had announced prior to his visit that he was going to the beach. He also said the Island Beach State Park house where they stayed "belongs to the governor."

Here is a video with Christie's comments:

YouTube video/photo