Free Republic

Gov. Chris Christie has finally taken the gloves off when it comes to Republican presidential rival Donald Trump, attacking the GOP frontrunner's quick-fix solutions on immigration as something that "hurts the credibility of the Presidency" and saying that Trump's views on entitlement reform ignore the facts. In announcing his candidacy for president last month, Trump said he would "build a great wall" along the entire U.S.-Mexico border to stem illegal immigration, boasting that "nobody builds walls better than me, believe me." -snip- Speaking with CNBC in a Keene, N.H., diner on Tuesday, Christie derided Trump's "great line" about having the...

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey likes to point out how he has made big cuts to state spending. But when it comes to using his allowance money as governor, he appears happy to be a high roller. Records obtained by New Jersey Watchdog show that Mr. Christie spent more than $360,000 of his state allowance during his first five years in office, with 80 percent of that going toward food, drinks and desserts. He receives an annual allowance of $95,000, on top of his salary of $175,000, to be used for entertaining and hosting official receptions. ~snip~ Mr. Christie...

A former crony of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pleaded guilty Friday in the “Bridgegate” scandal — and is willing to testify that the fading GOP star knew about crippling lane closures as they were happening, his lawyer said afterward. David Wildstein, who scored a $150,000-a-year Port Authority job through his Christie connections, entered into a cooperation deal with prosecutors and admitted scheming to snarl traffic near the George Washington Bridge as part of a political payback scheme. Two other ex-officials with ties to Christie were also indicted on charges they plotted with Wildstein to take revenge against Democratic Mayor...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie might be running for president of the United States, but he’d have a hard time getting re-elected in his own state. Christie received the worst job-approval ratings of his career, in a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Making a rare Capitol Hill appearance, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday encouraged the GOP's newest members of Congress to embrace compromise and common ground as they shift to a governing role following their party's midterm rout. The Republican governor, who is contemplating a 2016 presidential bid, addressed newly elected House Republicans and their spouses during a closed-door orientation luncheon inside the Capitol. The often-outspoken Christie declined to answer questions from reporters afterward, but attendees said offered a distinctly bipartisan tone. "He did talk about compromise and finding common ground," said incoming Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J....

Gov. Chris Christie trails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton among New Jersey voters surveyed in a poll about the 2016 presidential race. The Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Clinton leading the Republican governor 50 to 42 percent. Both are considering 2016 runs but haven't committed.

Chris Christie is plunging into what amounts to a cross-country revival tour, looking to recover from a clumsy political scandal and reclaim his place as a promising Republican presidential prospect. In one recent week, it was on-the-ground politics in Tennessee and New Mexico. This week, after a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, the New Jersey governor returns to the late night comedy circuit with an appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show." Then he'll stop by Mitt Romney's Utah summit, a private event for donors and GOP establishment leaders, and the week after that he heads to Washington to court Christian conservatives at...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn’t relish the idea of campaigning against Jeb Bush in 2016. In fact, a presidential primary tussle with the former Florida governor would be “stressful,” Christie acknowledged Tuesday. “You like to run against people that you don’t like, not run against people that you do like and respect, so of course it would be stressful,” Christie said on New Jersey radio station 101.5′s “Ask the Governor” program. “I am close with the Bush family … [Jeb] has been a wonderful friend to me, especially during [superstorm] Sandy and the aftermath,” he added. When asked about...

As New Jersey dug out Friday from the Nor’easter and braced for more snowflakes on Saturday, Gov. Chris Christie jetted off to Puerto Rico for some sun and fun, CNN reported on Friday. “After the storm had passed, the governor left the state [Friday] morning for a long weekend away with his family, and he will return Monday night,” Christie spokesman Colin Reed told the network.

Chris Christie is coming to Texas to raise some money – and it’s not a bridge he wants to sell you. The embattled New Jersey governor is head of the Republican Governors Association, so his trip to Texas is part of a nationwide effort to raise money for fellow GOP governors as well as to show party leaders he’s still a viable political figure for the future. -snip- Likely GOP gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott will not join Christie. An aide said Abbott will be in Houston as part of a statewide series of appearances on immigration. The RGA was a...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference next month, despite a snub from the group last year and the ongoing controversy over the George Washington Bridge closures. Christie has accepted an invitation to address CPAC, POLITICO confirmed Monday.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men will never put Chris Christie together again if New Jersey’s governor fails to refute the accusation that he knew of the George Washington Bridge lane closures as they were taking place. In that event, Christie’s governorship is over and he should prepare to face a federal criminal probe as a private citizen. Resignation would be a must. Otherwise, impeachment would be a snap. Christie stands on the brink of ruin thanks to David Wildstein, the high school pal who, as his Port Authority enforcer, ordered the closures that plunged Fort Lee...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's former campaign manager will plead the Fifth Amendment when he is asked about his role in an apparent plot to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J., according to a filing from his lawyer. The campaign manager, Bill Stepien, was one of two people disciplined for his actions related to the access lane closures, shortly after the apparent scheme was disclosed in a series of e-mails and text messages...

Gov. Chris Christie, who starts a second term with multiple investigations into his administration’s tactics underway, will accentuate bipartisanship and diversity in his inaugural speech Tuesday. “We have to be willing to play outside the red and blue boxes,” Christie said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “We have to be willing to reach out to others who look or speak differently than us.” -snip- But organizers canceled an evening party on Ellis Island, a symbolic spot synonymous with the promise of the United States, because there was fear snow would make travel dangerous. The island where some...

The controversial lane closures at the George Washington Bridge last September delayed emergency responders from attending to at least four medical situations in Fort Lee — including helping a 91-year-old woman who lay unconscious and later died, according to a report by The Record. Democrats have long accused Republican Gov. Chris Christie of ordering the lane closures as political retribution for Fort Lee's Democratic mayor refusing to endorse his re-election bid last year. Today, newly unveiled e-mails show that one of Christie's top aides knew about the closures in advance. The governor himself has denied being involved and today issued...

A top aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is linked through emails and text messages to a seemingly deliberate plan to create traffic gridlock in a town at the base of a major bridge after its mayor refused to endorse Christie for re-election. "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly wrote to David Wildstein, a top political appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey and New York City, one of the world's busiest spans. Kelly wrote the email on Aug....

Gov. Chris Christie today signed landmark legislation granting thousands of students who grew up in New Jersey but are in the country illegally the benefit of in-state tuition rates at all public colleges and universities. Christie's signature marks the end of a public tug-of-war over the measure, deemed the "Dream Act", which was pared down in its final days in order for Democrats to gain the governor's approval. Both sides hailed the compromise as a historic achievement. A spokesman for Christie, Colin Reed, said in a statement "the governor signed the legislation privately earlier today, and there will be a...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) leads former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) in a hypothetical 2016 matchup, according to a new poll out Tuesday. The survey, from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, gives Christie 45 percent support among registered voters nationwide to Clinton’s 42 percent support. That result tracks closely with the outcome of a survey of Iowa voters out this week, which gave Christie a 5-point lead over Clinton. Clinton leads every other potential Republican presidential contender, but they all keep that lead to single digits, with Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush...

Police are checking surveillance video at the mall to identify the assailants who are caught on tape circling the parking lot in a green SUV according to the New York Daily News. One eyewitness on Sunday night told the Star-Ledger he saw a green Subaru speed out of the parking lot at “over 100 MPH” in his estimation. Friedland put up a fight to protect his wife according to the Daily News, refusing to hand over the keys as his wife sat inside their 2012 silver Range Rover. Four shots were fired according to the newspaper, including the fatal one...

But as the controversy over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge continues to swirl, Democrats in Washington are pouncing on the Republican governor in the hope that they can stop his potential quest for the White House before it begins.