In a Thursday interview, Chris Christie, a Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, shared his thoughts on the potential third indictment looming over former President Donald Trump. According to reports, Trump’s lawyers were told to prepare for an indictment related to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the January 6th insurrection and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
During the interview on the Thursday edition of Pod Save America with host Jon Lovett, Christie discussed the high stakes of the upcoming 2024 election and the possibility of Trump facing multiple trials for different legal issues. Lovett asked if it was common for someone to face between four and six trials within a short period, to which Christie jokingly responded that usually, individuals facing legal issues have discrete crimes, leading to one trial. However, in Trump’s case, he has been involved in various legal matters, earning each of the indictments he might face.
Christie acknowledged that while some might question the prosecutors’ exercise of judgment and discretion in some cases, Trump’s conduct has been questionable and self-inflicted, leading to his legal troubles. Christie urged the audience to consider whether such conduct is appropriate for someone aspiring to be the President of the United States.
“Have you ever heard of someone facing between four and six trials within a few months for different legal issues?” Lovett asked.
“No. No. Usually, folks like this commit discrete crimes,” Christie joked. “And wind up having one trial. This guy has been a one man crime wave. Look, he’s earned every one of them. If you look at it, every one of these is self-inflicted. And that’s why, you know, do I think that prosecutors exercise prosecutorial judgment in discretion in some respects that are questionable? Yeah – and they always have. But what I say to people all the time is whether you agree or disagree with the prosecutors, look at the underlying conduct.
The prosecution of Manhattan is one that I wouldn’t have brought as a prosecutor. But do we want someone as president who is willing to pay off a porn star who he had an affair with, two months before a national election to hide it from the people who he’s asking for their vote for president of the United States? I think that’s probably conduct that we should be frowning upon,” Christie said.
“So I don’t believe in the Manhattan prosecution. I absolutely believe in the classified documents prosecution.”
Regarding the charges brought about for alleged hush money paid by Trump to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Christie admitted that he doesn’t personally agree with the Manhattan prosecution in that specific case. However, he highlighted the importance of scrutinizing Trump’s conduct, including paying off a porn star he had an affair with just two months before a national election to keep it hidden from the public while seeking their votes for the presidency.
Christie clarified that while he might disagree with some of the prosecutions, such as the Manhattan case, he firmly believes in the prosecution related to classified documents. He emphasized that the conduct exhibited by Trump raises questions about the suitability of someone with such actions becoming the President of the United States.
