N.J. Gov. Chris Christie 'saves' .. | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

TRENTON, N.J. • New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wasn't in a pardoning mood when an itsy, bitsy spider crawled on his desk while he spoke to a group of schoolchildren.

The students spotted the arachnid near the governor's phone on Friday. Speaking softly, Christie gave the spider a smack down.

The governor told the students that another fun part of being governor is you're allowed to kill any bugs on your desk without getting into trouble.

Christie tweeted that he had "saved a few school children from a spider."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals President Ingrid Newkirk issued a statement saying Christie probably killed it without thinking. Newkirk said "some people put the spider outside, but spiders are often scary" and that can prevent people from pondering their worth.

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie 'saves' children from spider