Chris Christie: Reported Trump name to Arizona chief in 2020 ‘absolutely unacceptable’

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he doesn’t know if former President Donald Trump’s reported 2020 name to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey was a felony act, however he does realize it was “absolutely unacceptable.”

Mr. Christie, a 2024 rival within the GOP main, was responding to a Washington Post report that stated Mr. Trump leaned on Mr. Ducey to overturn the election outcomes as he headed for a slim loss in opposition to Joe Biden.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable, to be pressuring a governor or any elected official as it was with the secretary of state in Georgia, to try to find votes to be able to win a state that you didn’t win or to try to somehow come up with some kind of ridiculous theory to overturn the results in Arizona,” Mr. Christie informed CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

Mr. Trump faces an investigation into comparable claims he leaned on Georgia officers to seek out sufficient fraudulent votes to overturn Mr. Biden’s loss. The former president says the 2020 contest was rigged in opposition to him and that investigations into his actions are designed to thwart his 2024 bid.

Mr. Christie stated Mr. Trump ought to settle for that he underperformed.

“Let me tell you why he lost Arizona. He lost Arizona for the same reason he lost Pennsylvania, he lost Michigan, he lost Wisconsin, and he lost Georgia. Because he had become a caricature of himself,” Mr. Christie stated. “Because he had not done the job the American people elected him to do. He had failed on his promises to balance the budget. Failed on his promises to build the wall, and led the Republican Party to loss after loss after loss.”

Mr. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, stated it’s troublesome to know whether or not Mr. Trump dedicated a criminal offense with out seeing all of the proof.

He additionally couldn’t say whether or not Mr. Trump deserves jail time if discovered responsible.

“I don’t want Donald Trump treated any differently than any other American. And I don’t want him treated worse, and I don’t want him treated better,” he stated. “I want to make sure that the facts come out. And if a jury finds him guilty, I want a judge to make that call.”

Mr. Trump dominates the 2024 main discipline, usually grabbing over 50% of the vote in early polling in comparison with 20%-plus for his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Mr. Christie is among the many candidates drawing single-digit help, however he’s making the media rounds and serving as an assault canine in opposition to the front-runners.

Another 2024 candidate, former Vice President Mike Pence, stated he didn’t really feel any untoward strain from Mr. Trump to lean on governors throughout the post-election interval in 2020.

“I did check in with, not only Gov. Ducey, but other governors and states that were going through the legal process of reviewing their election results, but there was no pressure involved,” Mr. Pence stated Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

He stated he referred to as governors to “get an update” amid numerous challenges relating to the pandemic-impacted contest.