TRENTON — Less than two weeks after federal charges were handed down in the George Washington Bridge scandal, Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday reiterated that he cannot be held responsible for the actions of his employees and allies.

Earlier this month, two former Christie allies — ex-Port Authority Deputy Director Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, the governor's ex-deputy chief of staff — were indicted for allegedly conspiring to close lanes on the bridge and cause days of traffic in Fort Lee to retaliate against the borough's Democratic mayor for not endorsing the Republican governor for re-election. Another Christie ally, former Port Authority official David Wildstein, pleaded guilty.

Christie said the charges vindicated him, showing he was not involved in the scheme.

MORE:

Christie defends his handling of N.J.'s economy

But during a CNN interview Tuesday, the governor and potential presidential candidate was asked if he believes his persona set a tone and influenced the way his aides acted.

"I obviously spent time thinking about that, because it's an obvious question," the governor said. "But no, I really don't think so. I think, unfortunately, there are going to be times when people that work for me do things that are completely out of character."

"I'm accountable for what happened because I'm the governor," he added. "But you can't be responsible for the bad acts of some people who wind up in your employ."

Christie dismissed speculation that the charges could hurt his chances at the White House.

"My political obituary has been written a number of times before," he said. "That's okay. It's something I'm used to. What happens, though, is each one of those people who write that obituary have only one vote. So I'm not worried about them."

The governor — who is expected to announce whether he is running for president in the coming weeks — also brushed aside the fact that his poll numbers have tumbled over the last year.

"If you determine what your commitment is to your country by what your poll number is on any particular morning, then I'd suggest to you that you have no business running for President of the United States," he said. "Guess what? They can change their mind.

"The job of campaigns — if we were to engage in one — is to change minds. And the job of leaders is not to follow polls, it's to change polls," Christie added. "If I decide to run for president, I'll run, and my job would be to convince people to vote for me."

Bridgegate: Photos of Gov. Chris Christie as George Washington Bridge scandal unfolded 31 Gallery: Bridgegate: Photos of Gov. Chris Christie as George Washington Bridge scandal unfolded

MORE POLITICS

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.