Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continued his efforts to not secure the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 by coming out in full-throated support of embattled FBI Director Christopher Wray on Fox News Wednesday after he was grilled by House Republicans.

Christie declared that Wray was doing a great job of reforming the FBI in the wake of former director James Comey. He and Wray have been friends for 20 years. The former governor hired Wray to represent him in a scandal during his tenure as New Jersey governor. They also worked together in the Justice Department after 9/11 and he recommended Wray to Trump to take the position of director for the FBI.

 

“Look, I’ve known Chris for a long time. We worked together in the Bush Justice Department in the post 9/11 period, and he did an extraordinary job, and yeah, I did recommend them to President Trump, and I’m proud that I did,” Christie declared to Fox News host John Roberts.

“Those things they’re talking about today, and the director made this point over and over again, are all things from when Jim Comey, Eric Holder, and Loretta Lynch were in charge of the Justice Department – before he got put in charge,” he asserted. “He fired the entire Comey leadership team out of the FBI, they’re all gone.”

“Is it all fixed? Of course, it’s not all fixed. Jim Comey and Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch drastically harmed the Department of Justice and the FBI. And Chris Wray has now spent years fixing that,” Christie claimed.

“What you saw today, I think, was an animated and combative FBI director who’s defending the men and women who work for him every day and do a great job and protect us from domestic terrorism, from international terrorism, and from these drug cartels,” he told Fox News host John Roberts.

“I think Chris Wray has done a very good job. And I think, look, a lot of the stuff you see today is theater,” Christie sneered. “But I believe Chris is a guy who can get it fixed.”

Wray was put on the hot seat over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and other accusations of bias in the federal agency by Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee.

If you were wondering how this awful Christopher Wray became FBI director, it was Chris Christie who came up with him.
Christopher Wray had been Christie’s sleazy lawyer in the Bridge Gate scandal.
Thank Chris Christie for the sleazy Wray.#FBIOversight #wrayhearing

— MARK SIMONE (@MarkSimoneNY) July 12, 2023

Allegations flew that the bureau “violated the First Amendment rights of Americans and potentially undermined our national security” by assisting censorship efforts pushed by social media companies “on behalf of a Ukrainian intelligence agency.”

The FBI director was also questioned on the FBI’s response to parents and the raid of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, last year.

Christie’s support of Wray goes against other Republican contenders for the nomination. It is a decidedly unpopular position to take and is likely to tank his numbers even further considering Republicans are accusing Wray of weaponizing the FBI.

Former Trump press secretary and now Fox News contributor Kayleigh McEnany rang the death knell for Christie’s campaign for praising Wray, “Best of luck to Chris Christie with that message in a GOP primary, which has tremendous distrust for the FBI…”

.@kayleighmcenany on Chris Christie’s inexplicable defense of corrupt FBI Director Chris Wray: “Best of luck to Chris Christie with that message in a GOP primary, which has tremendous distrust for the FBI…” pic.twitter.com/Gq8tnp23oj

— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) July 12, 2023

In the Real Clear Politics polling average, Christie is currently sitting at 2.5 percent.

Christie was hammered once again for tanking himself on the national conservative stage:

Defending Wray – is that like a brilliant 4D strategy to win conservatives?

— WonderMutt (@WonderMutt20) July 12, 2023

Afterwards they held hands and walked on the beach for a photo op.

— StatistsHateUs (@StatistsHateUs) July 12, 2023

Christie ate the swamp. Of course, he’s going to run cover for them.

— Anti-Communist (@PolitiFlake) July 12, 2023

Jersey Fats won’t be POTUS.

— D.C. Thornton (@dcthornton) July 12, 2023

I get that Christie recommended Wray to Trump and thus doesn’t want to admit what a disaster he’s been at the FBI, but the dude has been running the bureau for 6 years. Many of the scandals Wray is being questioned about by the House today occurred on his watch.

— AdamInHTownTX (Not a Biologist) (@AdamInHTownTX) July 12, 2023

He is NOT a Republican.

— Dennis Halverson (@HalversonDUU) July 12, 2023

Christie is an embarrassment! He should go back to his “private beach” with Obama!

— sal craco (@cracosal) July 12, 2023

Why is he defending a man who lets Biden slide and prosecutes a legitimately reelected President

— John (@johnbastian199) July 13, 2023

Christie isn’t really liked by ANYONE. So his loyalties lie with the ones he thinks still need a good lickspittle. The guys a clown

— Jakkylope (@toiletseatphd) July 12, 2023

Not that he has a chance at the Presidency anyway, but if there was any doubt, his defense of Wray should seal the deal.

— Andy Melinchuk (@AndyMelinchuk) July 12, 2023

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