October 25, 2015
Nobody gets to make phone calls in the quiet car. Not even a presidential candidate.
An eyewitness told Gawker on Sunday morning that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was kicked out of the quiet car on an Amtrak train from D.C. to New York after yelling at someone on his cell phone.
According to the passenger, Alexander Mann, Christie got on the train "yelling at his two secret service agents I think because of a seat mix-up." He appeared to be quite angry on the phone, repeating phrases like "this is frickin' ridiculous" and "seriously?"
It's not the first time that Amtrak has made the governor's blood boil. In July, he excoriated Amtrak for contributing to major commuter delays in New Jersey, saying that "Amtrak's indifference to New Jersey commuters and its abject neglect of the infrastructure that New Jersey and our entire region relies upon."
RELATED ARTICLE: Chris Christie takes aim at Amtrak over nightmarish regional commutes
Chris Christie spokesperson Samantha Smith told The Hill: "On a very full train this morning, the Governor accidentally took a seat in Amtrak's notorious quiet car."
She said that Christie apologized for breaking the tranquility of the quiet car.
"After breaking the cardinal rule of the quiet car, the Governor promptly left once he realized the serious nature of his mistake and enjoyed the rest of his time on the train from the cafe car," said Smith in a statement. "Sincere apologies to all the patrons of the quiet car that were offended."
One thing remains a mystery: the cause of the governor's anger. Was it bad poll numbers? Campaign aides screwing up? Or, worst of all: did he hear about someone trying to build another rock-climbing wall on a college campus?
Read the full story here.
