Christie: ’24 voters should focus on Trump’s conduct, facts of the case

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed Donald Trump on Friday, saying the facts of the indictment against the former president are “devastating” and calling Trump’s conduct “bad” and “irresponsible.”

Invoking his own history as a federal prosecutor, Christie said on CNN that the indictment was “very, very evidence-filled,” referencing tape recordings, texts and emails, and the testimonies of “dozens of people.”

Christie, who is also running for president, is one of only a handful of Republicans speaking out against Trump in light of the indictment. Only one other Republican presidential hopeful, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, has defended the government’s case against Trump.

But Christie is convinced “the group will get larger as everyone gets an opportunity to absorb the facts.”

Aside from the political dynamics around the indictment, the “bigger issue,” Christie posited, is: “is this the type of conduct that we want from someone who wants to be president of the United States?”

Christie said that the DOJ “undercut people’s faith and confidence in the system” due to lack of charges brought against Hillary Clinton for her mishandling of documents on a private email server and the investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election. He maintained that the GOP should look at the facts of the indictment itself separately.

“Each case has to be looked at on its own merits,” Christie said. “And the facts that are laid out here are damning in terms of Donald Trump’s conduct. And that’s what I think we as a party should be looking at.”