Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recounted his 2016 presidential bid, his friendship with President Trump and the tension between Trump aides during an appearance Saturday on FOX News’ “Watters’ World” with host Jesse Watters.
Christie also said “there would no Bob Mueller” had Trump selected him to be U.S. attorney general, referring to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his Russia investigation.
Promoting his new book, “Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics,” Christie recalled why he was among the first Republicans to endorse Trump for president after ending his own White House bid.
WILL CHRIS CHRISTIE CHALLENGE TRUMP IN 2020? ‘NEVER SAY NEVER,’ FORMER GOVERNOR SAYS
“He was my friend for 15 years at that point but also I campaigned against him,” Christie recounted. “I knew he was going to be the Republican nominee and my job, as I saw it, was to endorse him and to go in there and make him the best candidate he could be because we did not Hillary Clinton to be president of the United States.”
“My job, as I saw it, was to endorse [Trump] and to go in there and make him the best candidate he could be because we did not Hillary Clinton to be president of the United States.”
Christie also denied accusations of disloyalty to Trump when he refused to fly with the GOP nominee’s team to the second debate against Hillary Clinton following the release of the notorious “Access Hollywood” tape of Trump and show host Billy Bush.
“That’s Steve Bannon who’s just making stuff up,” Christie said of the former White House chief strategist. “Typical Steve drama that was completely made up.”
CHRIS CHRISTIE, IN NEW BOOK, ACCUSES JARED KUSHNER OF POLITICAL ‘HIT JOB’
Christie said he pressed Trump to answer for his comments about women on the tape and was asked to continue in his role helping Trump prepare for the third debate against Clinton.
When asked about not being selected as Trump’s running mate and subsequently being fired by Bannon as chairman of Trump’s transition team, Christie said he was told that Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner was behind his termination.
“He said it was the kid, referring to Jared Kushner,” Christie recalled of his conversation with Bannon. “This goes back to, as I detail in the book, the time in 2004 when I prosecuted Jared’s father.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Charles Kushner was investigated and sentenced to two years in federal prison for running afoul of election laws.
“Once you knew that your father had committed those crimes, that your father had pled guilty, not been found guilty, admitted to the crimes, what else was I supposed to do as a prosecutor?” Christie said. “By throwing me out, the president’s still attempting to recover from that with a lot of empty desks, a lot of people who got picked for jobs — like Michael Flynn and Tom Price — and others who had no business being there.”