TRENTON — Even though a famous civil rights leader came to Trenton to scold him, Gov. Chris Christie Monday unapologetically defended last week's controversial remarks on civil rights, calling one his Jersey critics "numbnuts."

Agitated and at times caustic, the governor went after Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who had hammered Christie for saying that in the 1950s and 60s activists "would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets of the South." Christie was trying to compare his call for a referendum on gay marriage to the civil rights struggle.

"What I said was I’m sure that civil rights advocates would have liked to have this as another option but it was not available to them," Christie said at the Statehouse. "Yet you have numbnuts like Reed Gusciora who put out a statement comparing me to George Wallace and Lester Maddox."

Christie had nothing but praise, however, for legendary civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) who held his own Trenton press to condemn the governor’s remarks.

Calling gay marriage a civil right, Lewis said Christie apparently "has not read his recent history books."

"People of color in the American South ... could not register to vote simply because of the color of their skin," he said. "Could not take a seat at lunch counters in restaurants. Could not take a seat in the front of the bus. Could not visit state capitals. If it had been put to a referendum, we would have never ever won."

Lewis said it was congressional actions, court decisions and presidential executive orders that chipped away at segregation.

He applied Martin Luther King’s comments about interracial marriage to gay marriage: "When it came to the question of interracial marriage, (King) would say races don’t fall in love and get married, individuals fall in love and get married. If two men want to fall in love and get married, if two women – it’s their business. It’s not the role of the federal government or state government to intervene."

Christie Monday called Lewis an "American hero" and said he would have cleared his schedule if the Georgia Democrat had requested a meeting with him.

"Any time he wants to come to New Jersey he will be welcomed with open arms because he led an extraordinary movement at great risk and sacrifice to himself," Christie said.

The governor also said he had a pre-planned meeting Monday with local black officials and leaders who, after he explained himself, told him they don’t believe his words were racially insensitive.

Asbury Park Mayor Ed Johnson, who is African-American and openly gay, said he accepted Christie’s explanation after speaking with him. "He clarified it, I have to accept that," said Johnson.

While conceding his statement may have been "inartfully" worded, Christie lashed out at Jersey Democrats for making political hay. He was especially bothered by Gusciora’s press release last week that said Christie "would have found allies" in former southern segregationist Govs. Lester Maddox of Georgia and George Wallace of Alabama.

Christie called the two "reprehensible people in America’s history" who would have never advocated for improving urban education, as he has.

Gusciora, the state’s first openly gay lawmaker, said in a statement, "If he doesn’t like the comparison, then he should change his position on marriage equality and sign the bill into law." While his statement said Christie "reverts to name calling" when the facts aren’t on his side, Gusciora earlier said he wasn’t bothered by the governor’s comment.

"I’ll take the numbnuts comment as a compliment. It’s a term of endearment," said Gusciora. "My college roommates used to call me that."

By Matt Friedman and Jenna Portnoy/Statehouse Bureau Staff