Free Republic

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is joining the parade of ambitious Republicans courting religious conservatives as the early jockeying for the next presidential contest intensifies. Christie was to deliver his first major address to an evangelical conference on Friday, the second day of the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual meeting, which brings hundreds of social conservative leaders to Washington. He’ll be joined on a packed agenda that also includes the GOP’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, and tea party firebrand Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. […] This group of potential presidential contenders largely represents a wing of the...

The following is mostly satire. Hillary Clinton, the Prince Charles of American politics (in more ways than one), has a new book out that she’s busy promoting. It’s called “Hard Choices.” She said, for example, her most difficult choice on the night of the Benghazi consulate attack was whether to have scotch, vodka or gin. In one interview, Hillary said that when she and Bill left the White House they were “flat broke.” She admitted to one interviewer that, "all the silverware we took from the White House were practically worthless". To escape their positively Dickensian condition, Hillary tried her...

Gov. Chris Christie appears confident in his presidential prospects despite the ongoing bridge scandal that has tarnished his national reputation. During an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that aired late Thursday night, Christie was asked whether, “hypothetically,” he thinks he could beat Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in a one-on-one matchup. …

New Jersey could be downgraded again because of its growing budgetary imbalance and underfunded public pension, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services warned on Monday. S&P had already cut the state's rating to 'A+' in April. Wall Street's two other main credit rating agencies soon followed in slicing the state to a single-A rating. That put New Jersey among the three lowest-rated states, along with California and Illinois.

Steve Lonegan, a libertarian-leaning former mayor, is running slightly behind self-funded insurance executive Tom MacArthur in a sharp-elbowed New Jersey GOP primary race for a House seat. The two candidates clashed repeatedly during a May 21 radio show, when MacArthur portrayed Lonegan as a big spender, and Lonegan portrayed MacArthur as a crony capitalist tool of the Chamber of Commerce. Lonegan said that MacArthur won the chamber’s support by agreeing to back the “comprehensive immigration reform” plan, which would increase levels of immigration. “You have to answer ‘yes’ to that question to get that endorsement,” Lonegan said.

The gun ban that has gone to Governor Christie for signature has been described as a "gun magazine restriction",  but it bans numerous common sport and hunting rifles.   The ban has no exemption for rifles with fixed magazines, including most common .22 rimfire rifles that are used for sport and small game hunting, and almost never used in crime.  Assembly Bill 2006 bans rifles that meet this definition: (4)   A semi-automatic rifle with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding [15] 10 rounds. The bracket and underline show the existing and proposed law.  There are no exemptions for grandfathering.   Anyone...

In nearly four and a half weeks, the ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows have offered 110 minutes to an evolving Obama administration scandal involving secret lists designed to keep veterans from receiving proper medical treatment. Back in January, it took those same network shows just four and a half days to churn that much coverage for Chris Christie's Bridgegate.

Parents of children killed in the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting joined Democrats Thursday in calling on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to sign a ban on ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The measure was passed by the New Jersey Assembly Thursday and will now go to Christie for his consideration. It previously passed the state Senate. The Republican governor and potential 2016 presidential candidate signed many firearms bills into law last year. But he issued conditional vetoes of some of the more contentious ones, including a ban on .50-caliber rifles. …

Gov. Chris Christie’s foreign policy speech Sunday night is facing some criticism at home — from a fellow Republican. State Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren), one of the most conservative New Jersey lawmakers, said Christie’s vision for America’s role in the world is unsustainable. “During his speech yesterday, Governor Christie advocated for an aggressive, interventionist foreign policy,” Doherty wrote in an email to the Star-Ledger. “He sounds like a Woodrow Wilson progressive who is out of step with the views of the American people.”

Gun control supporters appear poised to force New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, often discussed as a potential presidential candidate in 2016, to show where he stands on the Second Amendment. On Monday, the state's Senate passed A2006, legislation to lower the state's magazine-capacity limit from 15 rounds to 10 rounds, by a vote of 22-17, mostly along party lines. The bill will be sent to Christie for signature or veto after the Assembly, which previously approved it by a vote of 46-31, approves technical changes made to the bill by the Senate. Once the bill reaches Christie's desk, he...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday that he is thinking about running for president and that by the time 2016 arrives the controversy over last year’s George Washington Bridge lane closures “will be a footnote.” Christie told a conference in Washington that after months of investigation “there hasn’t been one suggestion that I knew anything about” orders from staff aides to close access lanes that caused traffic snarls in Fort Lee. When asked by CBS’ Bob Schieffer if he’s thinking of running for president and when he’ll make a decision, Christie said: “Yes, and later.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's longtime press secretary says he's confident his boss of 14 years had no knowledge of or involvement in the scheme that shut traffic near the George Washington Bridge in a political payback plot. The spokesman, Michael Drewniak, called the plot reckless and perplexing in an opening statement Tuesday before a New Jersey legislative committee that's investigating last September's lane closings. Drewniak has also testified before a federal grand jury that's separately investigating the lane closings.

That honor now goes to New Jersey. Tax reforms passed in the latest budget represent big improvements for corporations, but not so much for individuals. ... Still, New York remains a burdensome place to earn a living. The reforms did not change the state's poor rankings for having high sales taxes (No. 38), individual income taxes (No. 49) and unemployment taxes (No. 45). Meanwhile, the governor announced Tuesday that the state tax department collected nearly $4 billion in evaded taxes in the past year, a 5% or $200 million increase compared to the year earlier.The state collects about $87 billion...

Two former associates of Gov. Chris Christie do not have to hand over documents to a legislative committee investigating the traffic jam scandal engulfing the governor, a New Jersey judge ruled Wednesday. Former Christie loyalists Bridget Kelly and Bill Stepien had been fighting subpoenas calling for them to turn over documents regarding the plot to create traffic jams in Fort Lee to retaliate against the town’s Democratic mayor. The legislative panel asked for the court’s help in getting the two to comply with the subpoenas. Calling the decision one involving “complicated and untested jurisdictional issues,” Judge Mary Jacobson expressed reservations...

"...If we don't run Chris Christie, Romney will be the nominee and we'll lose."

A federal grand jury is investigating NJ Governor Chris Christie’s involvement in the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal and heard hours of testimony Friday from Christie press secretary Mike Drewniak. The US Attorney in New Jersey is taking the investigation extremely seriously, and recently increased the number of investigators on the case from three to 10, sources told the Post.

Republican pundit Charles Krauthammer said that when Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie embraced President Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy a week before the 2012 presidential election, he was essentially giving Obama a lap dance. “I think many Republicans are extremely upset with what was described in the press as giving Obama a bear hug,” Krauthammer said on Sunday in a debate with Obama strategist David Plouffe, according to Politico. “I saw it slightly differently, I thought it was more of like a lap dance. Not a phrase I would use on television, since the image is too disturbing.”

Christie apologized for the gaffe. Not long after his speech, Christie met with Adelson privately in the casino mogul’s office in the Venetian hotel and casino, which hosted the RJC meeting. The source told POLITICO that Christie “clarified in the strongest terms possible that his remarks today were not meant to be a statement of policy.” Instead, the source said, Christie made clear “that he misspoke when he referred to the ‘occupied territories.’ And he conveyed that he is an unwavering friend and committed supporter of Israel, and was sorry for any confusion that came across as a result of...

The lawyer who led an investigation that determined Gov. Chris Christie was not involved in the bridge closure scandal told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly Thursday there is not a “shred of evidence” Christie knew anything. Randy Mastro, a former federal prosecutor, released a report on his team’s investigation Thursday. The report relied on interviews with officials in the Christie administration, including the governor, and 250,000 documents. Mastro said on “The Kelly File” his investigation was exhaustive and thorough, and in the end completely exonerated Christie. “There is not a shred of evidence that Governor Christie knew anything about this lane...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: After the president met with Pope Francis, Il Papa, he then went over to the Villa Madama, the headquarters of the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi. They had a joint press conference that was interrupted. The cable nets actually cut away from this for news about Governor Christie. I kid you not. Here is what we got of Obama's joint presser (not all of it, but some of it) with the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi. OBAMA: My day started with the great honor of meeting His Holiness, Pope Francis. I've been incredibly moved by his compassion,...