Sad over Beachgate: Christie says outcry hurt his kids’ feelings

Gov. Chris Christie's decision to sit on Island Beach State Park with his family and guests amid a government shutdown this month resulted photos that launched a thousand memes. (See below)

Christie has defended the beach outing since Day 1. But on Thursday he revealed that the public outcry upset his children more than anything else during his terms in office.

"They were more hurt by this latest episode than they've been hurt by anything else that has happened in the eight years and they don't understand people's unfairness and, quite frankly, their ignorance," Christie said during "Ask the Governor."

Christie's use of the gubernatorial beach house on Island Beach State Park during the Fourth of July weekend was no secret. Days earlier during the June edition of "Ask the Governor," Christie said his family intended to stay at the shore even as government shutdown over a budget impasse loomed.

News that Christie followed through with his Island Beach State Park vacation as thousands of tourists and residents were turned away led to an outcry that Christie shrugged off.

The story then went national when NJ.com hired a plane to fly over the beach, allowing a photographer to snap pictures of Christie and his family alone on the 10-mile stretch of shoreline.

Christie said he has avoided looking at the comical and sometimes mean manipulations of the infamous beach photos and said his kids haven't discussed them with him.

Christie said his children, including his college student son who flew from Wisconsin to join friends at the beach house, "blamed themselves" for the controversy.

"They came to me and said, 'It's our fault, we should have just told you that we would have just told all of our friends to go away.' And I said to them, no, this was my decision," he said.

"That incident was in these eight years the most hurtful incident to my children."

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-359-5348 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.