Carl Lewis: Chris Christie Retaliated Against Me, Too

'I felt like he was trying to intimidate me, absolutely,' Olympic legend says
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2014 10:50 AM CST
Carl Lewis: Chris Christie Retaliated Against Me, Too
U.S. sport legend Carl Lewis speaks at the start of the the 26th International Belgrade Marathon in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, April 21, 2013.   (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Add Carl Lewis to the list of people piling on Chris Christie. The Olympic legend today revived his allegations that Christie's administration abruptly ditched a plan to name him New Jersey's "youth fitness ambassador" as soon as Lewis announced that he'd be running for state Senate as a Democrat, the Star-Ledger reports. "I felt like he was trying to intimidate me, absolutely," he says, alleging that Christie directly told him that "if you run, we're going to have to cancel the program."

Lewis first made the allegations back in 2011. Christie's administration has always denied them. "A lot of people said, 'He didn't do that, he didn't say that,'" Lewis tells the paper. "Now you're calling to ask about it because it's a lot more plausible." Christie's administration ultimately got Lewis kicked off the ballot for not meeting state residency requirements. "It's interesting, everyone calling him a bully. I don't really see him as a bully," Lewis says. "I see it more as someone who's insecure … and has got power." (More Chris Christie stories.)

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