Chris Christie Says White House Contact With FBI Was Result Of ‘Learning Curve’

Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., and his wife Mary Pat Christie look on as President Donald Trump signs House Joint Resolution 41 in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
FILE- In this Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, file photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat Christie watch as President Donald Trump signs House Joint Resolution 41 in the Oval Office of the White House in... FILE- In this Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, file photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat Christie watch as President Donald Trump signs House Joint Resolution 41 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. The state Chamber of Commerce’s 80th annual trip, nicknamed the “Walk to Washington” because rail riders generally pace the train’s corridors schmoozing and handing out business cards, on Thursday, Feb. 16, comes after a national election that hinged in part on repudiating insiders and establishment politics. Christie is set to deliver the keynote address to the gathering. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) MORE LESS
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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Sunday that members of President Donald Trump’s administration who pushed the FBI to publicly dispute reports of contact between Trump’s aides and Russian officials before the election were experiencing a “learning curve.”

“I don’t think you get the learning curve just by winning the election,” Christie told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

He said that members of Trump’s administration will “develop experiences over time.”

“I can guarantee this, I don’t think the chief of staff will ever have that kind of conversation with the FBI, with FBI personnel, again,” he said.

“Remember, these are all people who have never been in government before,” Christie said. “And so they’re going to need to learn these things.”

CNN reported on Thursday that the FBI refused a request from White House chief of staff Reince Priebus to dispute a story saying that Trump’s aides were in contact with Russian officials before the election.

Though Christie characterized Trump’s staff as political newcomers, Priebus served as general counsel and chairman of the Republican National Committee before becoming White House chief of staff.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer argued on Friday that Priebus had no choice but to push the FBI to publicly dispute the reports.

“I don’t know what else we were supposed to do,” he said.

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Notable Replies

  1. Knowing not to pressure law enforcement to put out statements to support your political goals should be something you already know, not something you need to learn.

  2. Here is a model learning curve. In this administration, the slope of the rise after “chaos” will be negligible.

  3. Remember the law firm that unsurprisingly found Christie was innocent of any wrongdoing in Bridgegate?

    Republicans know all about getting their ducks in order to avoid prosecution.

  4. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    “I can guarantee this, I don’t think the chief of staff will ever have that kind of conversation with the FBI, with FBI personnel, again,” he said.

    So Christie is sticking a shiv into Priebus, basically calling him out for unethical and possibly illegal behavior. As a former US Attorney, Christie must know how terrible this is.

    And you don’t get a learning curve at the highest levels, no Reince and repeat. You just can’t make a mistake of this magnitude at the highest levels of government.

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