Joining us now to discuss Republican presidential candidate and former
US Attorney Chris Christie.
Governor Christie, thanks for joining us.
You said today earlier that the Georgia charges against Donald
Trump you feel are quote unnecessary because you feel as
though Jack Smith,
the special counsel, has already charged Trump for these exact
actions in Georgia.
Now Georgia prosecutors might point out if Trump is elected
president,
he can just shut down Jack Smith's case or pardon
himself,
but he wouldn't have the right to do that.
With a Georgia investigation and or verdict,
what's your response to that?
Well, Jake, I don't think that's a prosecutor's job.
Prosecutor's job is to look at how you administer justice
in this case.
And and let me say First off that I have
no argument with the underlying conduct constituting something that should
be seriously considered by any grand jury at the state
or at the federal level.
But what happened here was Jack Smith charged the case.
He charged the case weeks ago that consumes this conduct
now.
She could have brought this case without Donald Trump.
And because Jack Smith didn't charge anybody else other than
Donald Trump in this matter.
And so I think the double charging here of Donald
Trump is just something that complicates things in a way
which makes the administration of justice much more difficult in
the near term. And so I didn't think it was
a necessary thing to do once you saw that Jack
Smith was charging him federally for the very same conduct.
We would have these kind of discussions amongst federal and
state prosecutors when I was US Attorney and we would
work it out so that we didn't do these things.
And I'm a little bit concerned that this had more
to do with ego than anything else,
that her office had put a lot of time into
an investigation.
Jack Smith came in a number of months ago,
swooped in, moved quickly, charged the case.
And that, you know, at this point you felt like,
you know, I put all this time in,
I should charge the president because I put my time
in.
I don't think that's the way you make these calls.
And so I think it was an unnecessary thing to
do because she has eighteen other defendants who have not
been charged anyplace else that she could have.
Parts without Trump and still had a very,
very strong case down.