New Jersey Governor and GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie said that he doesn’t “need to be lectured by Ted Cruz” on “Republican-on-Republican violence” on Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom”
Christie re-iterated that he thought Trump’s comments were “wrong,” and took issue with Ted Cruz’s remarks on Trump that he wasn’t going to “engage in the media’s game of throwing rocks and attacking other Republicans,” saying that he didn’t agree with Cruz and “I find it ironic, right, that Ted Cruz is giving lectures on Republican-on-Republican violence? The guy who put together a group that was sponsoring primary ads against Senator Lamar Alexander is giving us, the rest of us lectures on Republican-on-Republican violence. I mean, all due respect, I don’t need to be lectured by Ted Cruz.” And “I disagree with him [Cruz] about him lecturing about Republican-on-Republican violence. This is a guy who sponsored primary ads against sitting Republican United States senators, and one, quite frankly, that I admire a great deal like Lamar Alexander. So, you know, let’s just not be hypocritical, okay? Don’t lecture us [with] Donald Trump, but then attack Lamar Alexander. So, you know, all I want is a little consistency.”
He added, “Donald made some comments that I think those of us who have feelings about it reacted to. I think that’s what he would expect, he tries to evoke reaction, that’s part of who Donald is, I’ve known him for a long time, and I consider him a good friend, but on this one we disagree. I think those comments are inappropriate, and I think when you’re running for president, you have an obligation to answer some of that stuff, and we do.” He later stated that he didn’t think any comments that anyone has made in the 2016 race so far constituted “Republican-on-Republican violence,” and that Cruz trying to take out fellow Republicans in primaries was “a little more violent.” And that while he disagreed with Trump’s remarks, he wasn’t offended by them.
Christie also argued that Trump’s remarks were a “small moment” that would be “long gone” by the time the general election campaign rolls around before touting his ability to discuss the issues with the Latino community.
Later in the interview, he blasted the Obama administration’s dealings with Iran as “the single biggest disaster” of the Obama administration and said the president would do a deal with Iran “because he cares about his legacy than anything else at this point.”
He further argued the US needed to train and arm its allies such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Egypt “down to the battalion level,” “and let them bring the fight to ISIS.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.