Christie vetoes bill to punish Carl Icahn for closing casino

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has vetoed a measure that would have punished billionaire Carl Icahn for shutting down the Trump Taj Mahal casino.

The measure would have prohibited Icahn from holding a casino license for five years after he shut the casino down in October after a strike with its main employee union.

The Republican governor vetoed the bill Monday. He says it represents the Legislature "at its worst" and that it "shamelessly" backed one side in a labor dispute.

Democratic Assemblyman John Burzichelli says that the bill's goal was to prevent casino owners from manipulating the licensing system and hurting workers.

Icahn last month said he was surrendering his casino license and filed a deed restriction preventing future purchasers from using the Taj Mahal as a casino.