Republican presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ® said Thursday that he believes former President Trump kept classified documents after leaving the White House because “he wants to pretend he’s still president.” “I think it was purely ego,” Christie told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I think, Jake, he could not and still cannot…
And what sounds like infighting or a slight is in fact defense, Christie towing more line yet again. Trump and Co knew the value of those documents. Those were bargaining pieces to take with him on his way out, as he was losing power and his access to more documents. “Pretending he’s still president”, yeah, like the time he withheld support to Ukraine in exchange for investigation of his opponent! Holding on to top secret documents wasn’t for ego, it was for favors. DJT thought those documents might be get-out-of-jail-free cards. The irony being they may now cost him jail time.
I don’t think this is a great take. Christie was the federal prosecutor who put Charles Kushner (Jared’s father) father in jail back in 2004, and he loudly doesn’t much care for the Kushners.
Not to defend Christie here. He’s a bloviating sack of fetid swamp gas that should never be within 100 yards of any seat of government. He did a lot of damage on his way out as Governor of NJ, but he’s also got the mettle to pierce Trump’s veil, so there’s that. And that’s about it.