As the Chris Christie "Bridgegate" scandal grows, conservatives are faced with a conundrum we refuse, foolishly, to acknowledge and address.

Benghazi continues to be a rallying call for conservatives, albeit a waning one, particularly due to the belief that it will damage the Democrats' likely 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton. While no documents or evidence exist directly demonstrating Clinton was personally aware of embassy requests for increased security, or deliberately failed to act, conservatives' main argument has been, to use Clinton's own phrase: "What difference does it make?" After all, as Secretary of State, the buck stops with her. Whether Clinton was directly involved, or aware, of the fated embassy's troubles, is inconsequential, they say: as head of the department, both accomplishments and errors fall squarely at her feet.

Fair enough.

Enter Bridgegate, however.

Now, conservatives are singing a different tune. Suddenly, "the buck stops at the top" argument is nowhere to be found. On the contrary, there is instead a demand for evidence explicitly showing Governor Christie was directly involved and/or aware of the lane closings' political motives (which, worth remembering, reportedly cost one woman her life). But what of the idea that, as governor, Christie should be held accountable for his administration's and his staff's actions, because "the buck" stops with him? Nonsense! Buck? What buck? Conservatives now demand a "smoking gun" and facts, facts, and more facts.

The double-standard rears its head again in conservatives' dismissal of David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official and Christie aide who came forward Friday stating evidence exists showing Christie knew of the lane closures whilst they were happening, contrary to the governor's previous assertions that he only later learned of the closures. As New Jersey political reporter John Reitmeyer noted Friday afternoon, "I asked Christie during a December news conference specifically if he knew about the closures as they were occurring. 'Never. No.' he replied."

So, it is now onto Plan B for the Christie defenders, employing mental gymnastics to spin the latest damning development. Cue Charles Krauthammer, appearing on Fox News Friday evening with the dismissive: "So what if [Christie] knew? Everyone in New Jersey knew. It was on the news." Well, Mr Krauthammer, the reason it matters is because (a) it's at odds with what Christie previously stated; and (b) if Christie did lie about when he knew, not only does that call into question his honesty but it makes us wonder why he felt the need to do so.

Bridgegate is a no-win situation for conservatives – and yet the right seems intent on going down with Christie's sinking ship, refusing to realize there are only two possibilities: either Christie was in on the political-payback act, or he had no idea and is now bearing the blame for a staffer-gone-rogue. The former makes him a political thug worthy of impeachment, while the latter makes him an incompetent governor who has no idea what his own deputies do.

A growing rift is developing among conservatives: those willing to objectively see the writing on the wall and cut ties with the embattled governor, who has long been followed by rumors of questionable acts and a horrible temper, versus those hunkering down in defense of Christie, purely to, some openly admit, spite the left or "give them a taste of their own Benghazi (ie, direct proof required!) medicine", failing to realize a defense of Christie should also mean Clinton is off the hook for Benghazi. If a person at the top can claim plausible deniability, as conservatives defending Christie seem to posit, even in the face of opposing common sense and evidence, then so can Clinton. If the right has moved from a "the buck stops at the top" to a "smoking gun required" position, then Bridgegate-defenders should quietly retreat from their role as Benghazi-demanders.

In 1936, German mountaineer Toni Kurz, during an ill-fated attempt to climb the Swiss Alps' Eiger's north face, found himself dangling from rope with his fellow teammate's lifeless body weighing him down. Kurz was forced to cut the rope in an attempt to save himself from the dead weight pushing him down, rather than suffer the same fate.

Conservatives must do the same. One cannot blame Clinton for Benghazi while absolving Christie of Bridgegate. For conservatives, it is time to cut off Chris Christie – if only for the survival of our own intellectual consistency.