Giuliani Suggests White House Shakeup, Eyes Chris Christie for Attorney General
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has mentioned former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a possible candidate to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Giuliani called Christie as a “viable guy for a lot of things,” according to NorthJersey.com. Noting President Donald Trump’s oft-voiced dissatisfaction with Sessions, he said Christie was qualified for that job “in particular,”
“He’s my No. 1 candidate,” Giuliani said. “I don’t know if he wants it. He may be too involved with his law practice.”
Christie did not comment on the new reports about any possible appointment in the Trump administration.
Christie said in February 2017 that the post of attorney general was attractive to him, The Hill reported.
“The fact is that I wanted to be the governor of New Jersey, and if the president had offered me something that really was compelling me to get to Washington, I would have made the sacrifice to do it,” Christie said at the time.
Christie had been serving as governor, but was term-limited and left office at the end of 2017. The former U.S. attorney said in 2017 that he might have accepted an offer to serve as attorney general.
“Given that I’ve spent seven years of my life in the Department of Justice, that would have been a hard thing to turn down,” he said then.
The former governor has recently opened a law firm in New Jersey. Although Giuliani said he had referred clients to Christie, the former governor has denied that.
On top of his work at ABC, Chris Christie has been running a new law firm and, according to Rudy Giuliani, has been referred two former clients. Christie denies that. https://t.co/5554OdMOU1
— Dustin Racioppi (@dracioppi) June 9, 2018
Christie has also pushed back on speculation he might help prepare Trump for any interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.
The WaPo story tonight saying I have been asked to help prepare @realDonaldTrump for any interview with Bob Mueller is dead wrong. I have not been asked by anyone to do anything of the sort. The story is wrong.
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) June 5, 2018
“The WaPo story tonight saying I have been asked to help prepare @realDonaldTrump for any interview with Bob Mueller is dead wrong. I have not been asked by anyone to do anything of the sort. The story is wrong,” Christie tweeted.
Christie was among the 17 Republicans who sought the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. After dropping out of the race in early 2016, he was mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee. Christie later headed Trump’s transition team, but was moved out from that position shortly after Trump’s election.
Despite a rift between the two men at the time, they remain close, according to Politico, which suggested recently Christie may land a job in the Trump administration.
“One can never completely dismiss the idea since the relationship between the president and the governor goes back before either was in elective office,” said Bill Palatucci, who has worked with both men. “They still talk often, which reflects the trust and personal relationship between the two.”
The Politico piece included quotes from sources it did not name about the nature of Christie’s connection to Trump.
“Christie has operated in the tri-state area with the media and keeps on ticking, just as Trump did for years. They are cut from the same battle-tested media cloth. That is why Giuliani is where he is in that orbit. Christie is also viewed in the same light,” a Republican source told the outlet.
Politico quoted another Republican source it did not name as saying Trump and Christie are more than political allies.
“Trump is all about Donald Trump. You have to understand that, and Christie and his wife have been friends with Donald and Melania for years even before Christie was governor. It’s more than just a political relationship,” the source said.
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