Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said Monday on Fox Business Network’s “Cavuto Coast To Coast” that if former President Donald Trump is the GOP nominee, he will not be able to vote for himself because he’ll be a convicted felon.
Christie said, “Neil, you got to be for something in this country if you’re going to run for public office. Let me tell you what I am for, first and foremost. I’m a constitutionalist. I believe in the Constitution over men and women.”
Cavuto said, “But a Constitution says nothing about a convicted felon if it comes to that. Cause he has 97-odd chances to dodge that, but one of them might stick. Then what? What does the constitutionalist in you say?”
Christie said, “How about this? He’s going to go on trial the day before Super Tuesday. I believe he’s going to be convicted in that January 6th trial in Washington, D.C., predominantly because Mark Meadows, as you know, has signed an agreement — his former chief of staff, one of the founders of the Freedom Caucus — is going to testify against him! He’s going to be convicted. Imagine this: If he’s our nominee, he won’t be able to vote for himself.”
Cavuto said, “But he can be president.”
Christie said, “Yes.”
Cavuto said, “And this is what I talk to other politicos — they’re not steeped in the battle like you are. But, they say, look, if he hasn’t been dinged by all of these indictments, a conviction won’t make a difference. You think it might?”
Christie said, “I think a conviction is different for two reasons. One, it won’t be a liberal prosecutor talking about him anymore. It will be his former chief of staff saying he, Mark Meadows, committed crimes — because you wouldn’t need immunity if you hadn’t committed crimes — and that Donald Trump committed crimes on his watch. That’s very different for conservative voters to hear that from Mark Meadows than to hear it from Jack Smith.”
He added, “Secondly, it’s a jury of your peers convicting you. Not, again, the two-tiered system of justice that a lot of people are concerned about. I think it will be very different. The question’s going to be, is there going to be somebody that’s willing to stand up to him until that moment so that it’s not decided? And, that’s why I said recently, I’m in this through the convention.”
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