Chris Christie and New Jersey 101.5 host / Chasing News ringleader Bill Spadea used to have mad love. Now they've got bad blood.

Christie used to really like Bill — or so he told New Jersey 101.5 news director Eric Scott during May's edition of "Ask the Governor." Christie joked at the time that his "Ask the Governor" ratings were higher than Bill's — but said Bill's a "good guy" and called himself a" big fan."

But ever since Bill and Christie tussled over the gas tax, things have been frayed. That fight got nasty, with Christie telling Bill he sounded "like a fourth-grader"  as they sparred over the math involved. At the time, Christie was proposing a 23-cent gas increase with a tradeoff of a 1 percent sales tax decrease — and Bill said there's no way that won't cause taxpayers more pain.

Still, when a reporter for Chasing News — the TV show Bill hosts — asked him a question about text messages claiming he lied about Bridgegate, did he need to get so ... insulting?

Court filings submitted Tuesday by attorneys representing Bill Baroni — who faces trial next month with Christie’s ex-deputy chief of staff on charges they helped orchestrate the September 2013 George Washington Bridge lane closures — show a former aide texted to a staffer that Christie “flat out lied” when he denied the involvement of his senior staff and campaign manager during a December 2013 news conference.

Chasing News reporter Tara Jakeaway told the governor Wednesday the text was the "first proof that says you lied" before correcting herself to say "alleged proof," and asked for a response.

"You're Chasing New Jersey? Do you just hire stupid people at Chasing New Jersey?" the governor asked.

He told other reporters he "absolutely dispute(s) it. It’s ridiculous. It’s nothing new" but never responded directly to Jakeaway.

— Townsquare staff

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