Michael was well-respected and trusted throughout the halls of the State House even from the toughest of critics he spent 15 years covering Governor Chris Christie and his team as both us attorney and Governor as Christie describes it he reported on his tenure without fear or favor a scrupulously prepared journalist who was always on the hunt for the truth former Governor Chris Christie joined me to share his memories of what it was like being on the receiving end of those tough questions Governor when I think back to your tenure um you often called on Michael Aron first when you would hold those sort of Epic Press events in the outer office uh everyone was crammed in there was it out of respect for The Elder Statesmen or were you genuinely curious what was on Michael Aaron's mind to ask you that day both um first and foremost it was that respect for him um I had known him for a number of years already at that point um he had covered me through my seven years as us attorney and in the 09 campaign uh for governor and so i' known Michael for a long time but also it was because he always seemed to get not to the obvious point but to the subtext and I enjoyed the banter back and forth and we would have a lot of good banter back and forth and then I hoped it would kind of set the tone for what the rest of the the press conference would be like you did and yet he always remained so serious even when you were had a few jokes to quip um he sort of he was unflappable in that way absolutely look he was a pro in every sense of that word and he when you were off the Record um as you know Briana had a great sense of humor um and enjoyed a good laugh as much as anybody um but when uh it was Game Time Michael brought his game and you had to be ready um as the person who was on the receiving end of those questions that makes me think of and of course you weren't there but one of the correspondence club's dinners Michael dressed up as you he sang I Got You Babe song uh acting as you I think he also dressed up as your press secretary Mike drun once I never got to ask you what you thought of that and his uh rendition of you singing the song was and and just taking on the role of Governor Christie I thought it was great and it was a compliment and like I said I was referencing before he had a great sense of humor and so in those moments were the were the times when he got to display that sense of humor um to a broader audience but uh I I I loved it I laughed and we talked about it afterwards and uh he wanted to make sure that I was okay with it and I told him I was just fine was there ever a particular story he did where it made you shift uh in your thinking or even in how you approached a policy did he ever move the needle for you in that way when reporting on you you know it was more the things that he would change in me would be the way I would think about a topic or approach it um Michael's questions were often very analytical as I said he would often go for what the subtext was what he used to call the real story and so he would get me to look at things a little bit differently often than I than I did before and it I would often take the light because he he was great at reading the T leaves um that often take Delight uh when I would get a chance to fool him um and one time I remember in particular was when I had to appoint the replacement uh for the late senator Frank lenberg yeah and Michael was speculating with a lot of different names but he did not speculate about the one I ultimately picked attorney general Jeff Kaz and when the two of us walked out of my inner office to the outer office Michael was sitting in his typical front row seat and he looked at me and he winked and he and he said hiding in plain sight what a typical Michael oneliner hey how did he come to have that designated seat in your outer office it wasn't us um it was it was the respect that the rest of the members of the press Corps had for him I don't think any of them would dare take it um they knew that was where he should be and while there were a lot of other senior people who covered me over time um there was no one like Michael and everyone else knew it and he stood up for the other members of the press Court too um there was a time when one reporter wrote a story that I thought was really unfair and so I did what I would do from time to time um with reporters that would do something like that I called of putting them in the Penalty Box and they would come to the next press conference and they'd be raising their hand and I just wouldn't call on them and this one particular time after we were done with the press conference my secretary came back in and said Michael Aaron wants to see you alone for a moment off the record I okay and he came back in and he said look I know you put this particular reporter in The Penalty Box today as you call it and he said Governor I want to urge you don't do that he said it affects his ability to do his job and that's not right um and you know what he was right and uh those are the kind of ways that Michael had influence on me and I think that story not only shows how honest he was willing to be with me privately but also how he felt like every member of the State House Press Corps um was someone that he wanted to make sure got treated fairly and that if necessary that he would protect himself Governor Christie thanks for coming on to share some memories about our friend our colleague Michael Aaron thank you so much Ranna thanks so much for having me and uh my condolences to Michael's friends and family uh he will be missed