Gov. Christie 'can't paint a different picture of the state' after Sandy, says Sen. Stephen Sweeney

"The master of disaster" - That's how Time magazine is referring to Chris Christie this week. The New Jersey governor has seen a big bounce in approval ratings after his handling of hurricane Sandy and today he told NBC his recent outbursts over aid has nothing to do with politics.

Christie for president in 2016: "I'd be more ready

"Sandy is and was above politics in every other element except what happened in the congress a week ago." Christie said, "And so what I was trying to point out very clearly was there are people suffering in New Jersey, there are people suffering in New York, they need to be taken care of, Remember this Matt, we've now waited seven times longer than the victims of Katrina waited for federal aid."

But some of Christie's democratic colleagues say he is taking advantage of the situation. New Jersey state senate president, Steve Sweeney blasted Governor Christie saying "I guess he prayed a lot and got lucky that a storm came."

Sweeney apologized immediately after that comment, but it raises the question, can you fault a politician for leading in a time of crisis?

OutFront tonight: NJ State Senator Stephen Sweeney.

Christie runs the gamut

In a series of wide-ranging interviews Wednesday morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sidestepped more questions about his potential interest in a presidential run and pushed for an expansive debate on gun violence.

His comments came one day after the Republican governor gave his annual State of the State address, a high-profile speech that focused almost entirely on recovery efforts from Superstorm Sandy.

But Wednesday morning, Christie was eager to talk about more issues, including the ramped up debate on firearms, as well as the upcoming fiscal showdowns in Washington.

The governor in particular argued that any conversation on gun regulations must also feature discussions about mental health illness and violence in video games. Pressed on whether he'd support a federal assault weapons ban–a proposal floating around in Washington–Christie said he couldn't give a strict "yes" or "no" answer.

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