Republicans rush to defend embattled Gov. Chris Christie as Bridgegate scandal ...

CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS

Republican officials across the country rushed to the defense of scandal-stricken New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Sunday, as questions persisted over how the growing Bridgegate investigation could hamper the embattled pol's 2016 hopes.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani led the charge in shielding the under-fire heavyweight, claiming Christie wouldn't have issued such an impassioned apology last week if he had known the growing saga was ordered from within his office.

'He's held a press conference; he's flatly denied it,' Giuliani said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week.' 'The reality is you miss a lot of things when you're running a government that's as complicated as New Jersey, New York or the United States,' he added.

But if investigators do find that the governor lied, and that he did know about the sinister plot to wreak havoc on the George Washington Bridge, Giuliani later hedged, Christie's political career -- including his White House aspirations -- could be finished.

'If for some reason it's not true, the man has put his political career completely at risk,' Giuliani said. '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.'

Republican National Committee President Reince Priebus, who would play an active role in helping to shape the GOP's 2016 field of presidential candidates, also offered a strong bid of support for Christie.

'There's no question -- he admitted mistakes happen,' Priebus said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' '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.'

RELATED: NJ POL SAYS CHRISTIE IMPEACHMENT 'A POSSIBILITY' IF HE LIED

But one potential Christie rival for the nomination, wasn't so sympathetic.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio refused to defend the dishonored governor Sunday, saying he'd instead prefer to wait for 'all the facts.'

'I think this is a story that's still developing and we should reserve judgment,' Rubio said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' And beyond that, I'm just not, don't know that much about it, other than what I've seen reported in the press.'

RELATED: STASI: CHRISTIE WILL GET DONE IN BY THE COVER-UP

Meanwhile, the state's investigation into the lane closures could reach further into Christie's office as early as Monday morning.

New Jersey State Transportation Committee investigators are expected to deliver a new round of subpoenas to key Christie aides, a Democratic lawmaker heading up the probe said over the weekend.

'We're no longer looking at just lane closures,' New Jersey State Assemblyman John Wisniewski said. 'We're looking at an abuse of power and an attempt to cover up that abuse of power.'

RELATED: RUDY GIULIANI SUPPORTS CHRIS CHRISTIE

On Saturday, Wisniewski told the Daily News that Christie could possibly be impeached if the panel discovers that he had knowledge of the sinister traffic plot or of the effort to cover it up with a bogus 'traffic study.'

The massive four-day traffic jam was reportedly created as political retribution aimed at the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., who refused to endorse Christie for reelection.

Christie issued an epic, 107-minute apology Thursday afternoon for his office's part in the crisis, which caused four days of harrowing gridlock, and took prompt action -- dumping Bridget Kelly, once a top aide, and adviser Bill Stepien, his former campaign manager.

Christie, however, denied that he himself knew anything about the September lane closures, which are also being probed by the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI, and has remained silent since his marathon press conference.

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