Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says the Trump campaign made “a lot of mistakes,” but he doesn’t think that colluding with Russia was one of them.
“I do not believe there was any collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. I never saw any evidence of it, but also I quite frankly don’t think the campaign was organized enough to collude,” Christie told WOR’s “Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning.”
Christie is the author of the new book “Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics.”
The former governor said Trump’s biggest mistake has been the people he’s surrounded himself with.
“These are bad folks and they’re criminals,” Christie said.
Several of President Trump’s former advisers and allies have been targeted by special counsel Robert Mueller, including Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort and Roger Stone.
“I think he’s learning that having some of these people around him is not only not helpful, it’s harmful,” Christie said.
In the book, Christie writes that then-candidate Trump essentially offered him the job of Vice President. However, at the last minute the president chose Mike Pence.
“I think that the family did have - and Jared (Kushner) in particular had a great deal of influence in pushing the president away from me and towards Vice President Pence,” Christie said.
Kushner apparently held a grudge against Christie, who prosecuted Kushner’s father when he was U.S. Attorney in New Jersey. Christie said Kushner even tried to block him from being the chair of the transition team.
“Jared interrupted that meeting, came in, and in front of me made the case against me being chairman of the transition because of my prosecution of his father,” Christie said.
Despite being fired as the transition chair and being blocked from being Trump’s running mate, Christie said the president did offer him several jobs. That includes Homeland Security Secretary and Ambassador to Italy.
“They were not jobs that I was interested in doing in this time in my life. So I could be in the administration if I wanted to be. I’ve chosen not to be,” Christie said.
The governor’s bid for president in 2016 ended after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. Christie argues he would have had a much better chance had Trump not been in the race.
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