New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was forced to learn a very important political lesson this week, even seemingly innocuous and light hearted moments can earn the wrath of PETA. Any depression Christie suffered from the backlash was easily cured by the record $6.2 million dollars he raised for his re-election bid.
In a video that Christie tweeted out last week, the governor can be seen killing a spider as school children are taking a tour of his office, according to Talking Points Memo. Along with the video Christies tweeted, "Earlier today I saved a few school children from a spider." After squishing the arachnid that dared to cross his path the children applauded.
"That's another fun thing about being governor," Christie said. "Any bugs that are on your desk, you're allowed to kill them without getting in trouble."
It turns out that the governor spoke too soon. The President of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Ingrid Newkirk, did not see any humor in Christie's actions. In a statement released to Talking Points Memo Newkirk scolded Christie.
"He probably did it without thinking," Newkirk said. "Some people put the spider outside, but spiders are often scary to people, and that can prevent them from pondering their worth."
If people are offended by Christie's spider hunt it certainly hasn't been reflected in his abilities to fund raise, the governor has raised $6.2 million for his re-election bid this coming November according to Bloomberg.
The governor has been lauded for the way he handled Hurricane Sandy and in recent polls Christie held a 32 point lead over his challenger, State Senator Barbara Buono. Bloomberg reports that Christie has raised over three times as much as Buono.
Christie was thought to be a potential candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2012, but declined to enter the race. Christie has been mum about if he has any presidential aspirations for 2016.
