WESTWOOD – Gov. Chris Christie called reports that he snubbed the presidential hopeful Mitt Romney by not showing up to a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend “completely untrue.”

The governor slammed down reports by the Huffington Post that he declined to attend a rally for Romney just over the New Jersey border in Pennsylvania. Christie blamed disgruntled staffers for spreading the false report.

The governor said he spoke with Romney directly prior to Hurricane Sandy hitting the Jersey Shore and advised the Republican presidential hopeful that he would be off the campaign trail if weather turned severe.

“All this other noise is coming from know-nothing, disgruntled Romney staffers who, you know, don’t like the fact that I said nice things about the president of the United States,” Christie said during a news briefing at a Westwood elementary school.

"I told Gov. Romney at that time that if the storm landed as predicted that it was going to be catastrophic to New Jersey and unprecedented," he said. "I said to him, 'Listen, Mitt, if this storm hits the way I think it's going to, I'm off the campaign trail from here to Election Day.' And he said to me, 'Chris, of course. Do your job, don't worry about me. I'll take care of things.'"

Christie said Romney completely understood that he would be too concerned with the recovery effort in New Jersey to worry about traveling out of the state for any candidate’s campaign.

“He’s been governor,” Christie says. “He knows.”

Christie predicted Romney will clinch the presidential race later tonight.

“I am confident that he’s going to be elected president of the United States tonight,” Christie said.

Earlier story:

Christie insiders say the gov. didn't snub Romney in Pa., he wasn't invited