Republican presidential candidate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dodged answering Sunday whether he thought refugees already living in his state should be forced to leave.
Christie appeared in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” but had previously said that he wouldn’t allow 5-year-old Syrian orphans into the country.
When CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Christie on whether he thought those about 75 refugees already living in the Garden State should be forced to leave, Christie didn’t give a direct answer.
“Jake, what should’ve happened is we should’ve been informed about it and we were not,” Christie said. “We should have these folks vetted and vetted well.”
Christie also criticized New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had critiqued the GOP hopeful for his orphan line, and said that de Blasio should focus on NYC’s security concerns.
“Maybe he should be mayor of Damascus,” Christie added.
