Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie definitively ruled out the possibility of challenging newly-indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.) for his seat in Congress.
In an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the Republican presidential candidate firmly stated that he had “no interest” in becoming a United States senator if he did not secure the party’s primary nomination.
When asked if he would completely rule out the idea, Christie maintained his position.
“Yes, I have. I have consistently maintained this throughout my career,” he replied. “In 2013, when Frank Lautenberg passed away and I was governor, I had the opportunity to appoint myself to the United States Senate.”
“If I did not take that chance to appoint myself, the easiest option available, then I definitely will not run for it.”
Christie’s statement comes shortly after Menendez was indicted by federal prosecutors on corruption charges. The indictment alleges that the Democratic senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for using his position of power to grant favors.
Investigators also discovered over $100,000 worth of gold bars at the Menendez residence, which they believe were given to the senator and his wife by their business partners in New Jersey. One of these partners, an Egyptian American, is accused of sharing sensitive information from Menendez with the Egyptian government.
A growing number of lawmakers, including members of the Democratic party, are calling for Menendez’s resignation from the Senate. However, the senator has pushed back against the allegations, suggesting that the indictment is part of a conspiracy to oust him, as a first-generation Latino American, from his Senate seat. While he plans to step down from his leadership position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez has made it clear that he will not resign from his role as senator.
Meanwhile, Christie remains far behind former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary race. Despite facing multiple indictments, Trump is leading by over 40 points, according to a new NBC poll. The poll shows that 59% of national Republican primary voters prefer Trump as their top choice, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Although the national poll reflects a 55-point gap between Christie and Trump, the former governor highlighted that his standing is stronger in individual states.
“This race will completely change once people start casting their votes, Kristen,” he emphasized. “If it’s just a national poll and there isn’t a national primary, I don’t waste more than three minutes thinking about it.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
