SALEM, N.H. — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has a protracted historical past of exacting revenge on politicians who cross him, has constructed a White House run that’s nearly completely a vendetta towards former President Donald Trump.
His repeated broadsides towards Mr. Trump have included mocking him for being hit with federal prices, saying he resembles a “stupid Corleone” in his alleged plotting to cover labeled authorities paperwork. Mr. Trump has pleaded not responsible in latest arraignments.
“I’m from New Jersey, and I was a prosecutor. I’m somewhat familiar with organized crime. This caper looks like it was performed by the stupid Corleone,” he mentioned on Wednesday.
He used the reference to “The Godfather” movie at a city corridor in Salem.
In the 2 months since launching his marketing campaign, Mr. Christie has ridiculed Mr. Trump for appearing like “a child,” mentioned the ex-president “certainly” committing federal crimes and denounced him for backing Russian President Vladimir Putin regardless of the atrocities in Ukraine.
Mr. Christie had as soon as counted Mr. Trump as a buddy and ally. That was earlier than Mr. Trump handed over the previous governor and U.S. legal professional for a high job within the Trump administration.
Mr. Christie now hopes his nonstop assault will chip away at Mr. Trump’s fan base, although it’s like attempting to knock down a mountain with a hammer.
He has managed to climb up from 1% to as excessive as 8% within the polls in New Hampshire. But he’s nonetheless operating a distant third place. He is greater than 30 factors behind Mr. Trump and not less than 10 factors behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
At the identical time, Mr. Christie’s relentless criticism of Mr. Trump is seen skeptically by political execs who say the previous governor is simply following a sample of exacting political revenge. Indeed, Mr. Christie beforehand turned on 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, 2014 Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino and 2016 presidential hopeful Scott Walker.
Mr. Christie doesn’t deny he’s all about annihilating Mr. Trump.
“I am going out there to take out Donald Trump, but here’s why: I want to win. And I don’t want him to win,” he mentioned at an occasion early within the marketing campaign.
More than a decade in the past, critics suspected that then-Gov. Christie was punishing Mr. Romney, the GOP customary bearer, when he embraced and lavished reward on President Obama on a New Jersey tarmac following Superstorm Sandy.
It was simply weeks earlier than the presidential election and Romney aides mentioned the episode helped kill the marketing campaign’s momentum by making Mr. Romney look sidelined and helpless whereas Mr. Obama seemed heroic.
The aides mentioned Mr. Christie acted out of revenge after being handed over as Mr. Romney’s operating mate, which Mr. Christie has denied.
In 2014, Republican operatives in Wisconsin complained that Mr. Christie, then head of the Republican Governors Association, was withholding monetary assist for Mr. Walker’s reelection marketing campaign for Wisconsin governor as a result of each males had 2016 White House aspirations.
Mr. Astorino additionally accused Mr. Christie of withholding RGA funds from his struggling New York gubernatorial marketing campaign. Mr. Astorino mentioned Mr. Christie was in league with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo following the “Bridgegate” scandal when lanes of the George Washington Bridege have been inexplicably closed and brought about main site visitors jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
The closure was an alleged payback for the Fort Lee mayor not backing Mr. Christie’s reelection as governor. The incident led to federal conspiracy convictions towards three high Christie aides.
Mr. Astorino steered Mr. Cuomo “has something” on Mr. Christie, who was by no means charged or straight linked to the lane closure incident. At the time, Mr. Astorino was trailing Mr. Cuomo by 40 factors and Mr. Christie mentioned the RGA was not funding “lost causes,” regardless of pumping cash into different longshot governor’s races.
Mr. Christie shot again at accusations he withheld funds for punitive and political causes.
“I invested in people that could win. Rob Astorino, couldn’t win, never has won. And that’s why I didn’t invest in him. And by the way, I invested in Scott Walker in 2010, 2012 and in 2014,” he advised The Washington Times throughout a marketing campaign cease Wednesday in New Hampshire.
“With Rob Astorino, he simply couldn’t win,” he mentioned. “My job as RGA chairman was to invest the money of our donors in winning campaigns.”
He listed Maryland’s Larry Hogan, Massachusetts’s Charlie Baker and Illinois’ Bruce Rauner as examples of GOP gubernatorial candidates he mentioned nobody thought might win however he backed with RGA funds and went on to win.
As for Mr. Trump, Mr. Christie has had a love-hate relationship with him relationship again to the 2016 GOP presidential race, when the 2 hurled insults at one another on the talk stage. Mr. Christie shocked the political world by dropping out and changing into the primary former GOP presidential candidate to endorse Mr. Trump in 2016.
He then turned towards Mr. Trump within the week earlier than the election, when a videotape surfaced of Mr. Trump making his notorious “grab them by the pussy” comment about his star standing giving him carte blanche to molest girls.
Mr. Christie known as the remarks “completely indefensible.” His criticism put him within the doghouse with Mr. Trump, who handed him over for legal professional basic in favor of Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and later William P. Barr.
Mr. Christie nonetheless reconnected with Mr. Trump throughout his White House time period, defending him on the discuss present circuit and serving as a behind-the-scenes adviser. He mentioned he declined consideration for White House chief of workers in 2018 after the resignation of John F. Kelly.
The relationship between the 2 fell aside once more after the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Christie suggested Mr. Trump to simply accept defeat and concede to President Biden. Mr. Trump as an alternative continued to battle Mr. Biden’s victory till the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol. The two males started buying and selling barbs and insults after that, and Mr. Christie now calls Mr. Trump a liar and a coward who, if elected to the GOP ticket, will lose to Mr. Biden subsequent yr, as he did in 2020.
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