New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Monday defended his trip to a state-owned beach he ordered to be closed to the public, mocking media coverage of his family at the empty beach.

Christie insisted he said all along he'd be at the beach, slamming The Newark Star-Ledger for their photos of him at Island Beach State Park on Saturday night.

"What a great bit of journalism by The Star-Ledger. They actually caught a politician being where he said he was going to be with the people he said he was going to be with, his wife and children and their friends," he told a local Fox affiliate.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I am sure they will get a Pulitzer for this one. They caught me doing what I said I was going to do with the people I said I was going to be with."

Christie ordered state parks and beaches to close after New Jersey went into a government shutdown late Friday night over a budget stalemate.

At a Sunday press conference, Christie was asked if he had spent any time in the sun.

"I didn't," he said, according to NJ.com. "I didn't get any sun today."

But a photo snapped Sunday by NJ Advance Media showed the governor and his family on the sand.

After being told about the photo, Christie spokesman Brian Murray acknowledged the governor had spent time on the beach.

"Yes, the governor was on the beach briefly today, talking to his wife and family before heading into the office. He did not get any sun. He had a baseball hat on."