Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Sunday declined to criticize New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over the bridge controversy that has engulfed the Republican’s administration and called into question his prospects for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. 
 
 Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” whether Christie was now “damaged goods,” O’Malley said “I don’t know.” He said the matter was more of an issue for New Jersey residents and officials. 
 
 “I don’t know if I could really shed more light on it,” said O’Malley, a Democrat who is also talked about as a potential presidential contender in 2016. 
 
 (WATCH: Sunday show recap in 90 seconds) 
 
 Host Candy Crowley asked whether O’Malley could imagine a similar experience happening in his administration – that one of his top aides could be so intimately involved in such a scandal and the governor not be aware of the situation. And O'Malley responded, “There’s certainly no issue that bothers our citizens as much as traffic congestions.” 
 
 Christie fired Bridget Kelly, a deputy chief of staff, last week after the disclosure of e-mails that showed she was involved in orchestrating lane closures on the George Washington Bridge. 
 
 Read more about: Chris Christie, Martin O'Malley ||||| Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday declined to weigh in on the George Washington Bridge controversy that has engulfed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, warning that any comments at this point would be mere speculation. 
 
 “We don't know all the facts. I think this is a story that's still developing and we should reserve judgment. And beyond that, I'm just not -- don't know that much about it, other than what I've seen reported in the press,” the Republican senator from Florida said. 
 
 (WATCH: Rubio on 'Face the Nation') 
 
 “I really don't have much to add, other than that. And I wouldn't, you know, delve into the political speculation as well. That would be a mistake." 
 
 Read more about: Marco Rubio, Chris Christie ||||| Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Sunday defended New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the bridge scandal that has consumed his administration, saying his political career would be over if there was any evidence the governor knew about the scheme. 
 
 Giuliani, a Republican, said Christie would not have issued such airtight denials that he had any knowledge of the controversy until last week if it were not the truth. He said the Republican governor was in “campaign mode” at the time and was likely to miss such issues while running for reelection, and also while running a complex state government such as that of New Jersey. 
 
 “He’s held a press conference; he’s flatly denied it,” Giuliani said on ABC’s “This Week.” “If for some reason it’s not true, the man has put his political career completely at risk. If it turns out there’s some evidence that he knew about it, he’s taken a complete risk and his political career is over.” 
 
 (WATCH: Sunday show recap in 90 seconds) 
 
 Giuliani also invoked President Barack Obama and some of the controversies that have occurred under his administration, such as the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups that was revealed last spring. 
 
 “This has happened to many presidents, many governors, many mayors,” Giuliani said. “It’s happened to the present president at least three or four times, where he said ‘I didn’t know’ and the press says, ‘Gosh, how could you not have known?’ 
 
 Read more about: Rudy Giuliani, Chris Christie ||||| Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Sunday praised Gov. Chris Christie’s handling of the bridge scandal as he tried to draw a distinction between how the New Jersey Republican and President Barack Obama has handled controversies in their administrations. 
 
 Priebus said Christie’s lengthy press conference on Thursday gave residents in New Jersey and people nationwide ample opportunity to judge his character and how he is dealing with the fallout over the closed lanes on the world’s most-trafficked bridge. That’s in contrast to Obama, whom Priebus criticized for providing little access to the public and the press. 
 
 “He trusted people that lied to him, and he fired those people,” Priebus said of Christie on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The president doubles down on [Attorney General] Eric Holder. He doubles down on Hillary Clinton and [former IRS official] Lois Lerner and [National Security Adviser] Susan Rice.” 
 
 (WATCH: Sunday show recap in 90 seconds) 
 
 Priebus said he was confident that no direct link will be identified to Christie in the bridge controversy, citing the thousands of pages of documents that have been made public that have not revealed ties to the Republican governor himself. 
 
 “There’s no question; he admitted mistakes happen,” Priebus said. “He admitted he trusted people that lied to him. America is a forgiving people but they’re forgiving when you take ownership, you make mistakes you take corrective action, and that’s what Chris Christie showed.” 
 
 In a separate interview on “Meet the Press,” Mark Sokolich – the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., the town whose streets were clogged due to the lane closures – said he took Christie “at his word” when the governor said he had no prior knowledge of the bridge scheme. 
 
 “The issue is whether he knew, but if he didn’t know, he certainly should have known,” Sokolich said. 
 
 Read more about: Chris Christie, Reince Priebus, Scandals ||||| Arizona Sen. John McCain praised New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s handling of the bridge scandal that has implicated his top aides and appointees. 
 
 Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," McCain said the controversy is “obviously” a blow to Christie but likely not a permanent one – unless more information comes out that ties the governor directly to the traffic problems on the George Washington Bridge cooked up by some of his top aides. 
 
 (WATCH: McCain on CNN's 'State of the Union') 
 
 “I thought he did an excellent job by the very lengthy press conference,” McCain said. “Having gone through this, I know that you’ve got to answer every question. You can’t leave any question unanswered. I think he can now move on as long as another shoe doesn’t drop.” 
 
 Read more about: John McCain, Chris Christie, Scandals
– Chris Christie was as popular a topic on the Sunday shows today as one might expect, but rather than getting tarred and feathered, guest after guest either came to the New Jersey governor's defense or declined judgment. A rundown of the highlights, as per Politico: John McCain: "I thought he did an excellent job by the very lengthy press conference. Having gone through this, I know that you’ve got to answer every question. You can’t leave any question unanswered. I think he can now move on as long as another shoe doesn’t drop." Marco Rubio: "We don't know all the facts. I think this is a story that's still developing and we should reserve judgment. And beyond that, I'm just not—don't know that much about it, other than what I've seen reported in the press. I really don't have much to add, other than that. And I wouldn't, you know, delve into the political speculation as well. That would be a mistake." Rudy Giuliani: "This has happened to many presidents, many governors, many mayors. It’s happened to the present president at least three or four times." Further, in denying knowledge, Christie put his rep on the line: "If it turns out there’s some evidence that he knew about it, he’s taken a complete risk and his political career is over." Reince Priebus: "He trusted people that lied to him, and he fired those people. America is a forgiving people but they’re forgiving when you take ownership, you make mistakes you take corrective action, and that’s what Chris Christie showed." Martin O'Malley: Asked if Christie is "damaged goods," the Maryland Democrat said, "I don't know. I don’t know if I could really shed more light on it."