With Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey now indicted on federal bribery charges, would the Garden State’s former governor, Chris Christie, consider running against the embattled Democrat, who’s up for reelection in 2024?
That question was posed to the GOP presidential candidate on Sunday by “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, but Christie poured cold water on the idea.
"Would you run against Senator Menendez if you don't win in the fall?" she asked the Republican.
"No, I have no interest in being in the United States Senate," he responded.
"You rule it out completely?" she followed up.
"Yes, I have. I have throughout my entire career. I had a chance to appoint myself to the United States Senate, Kristen, in 2013 when [Sen.] Frank Lautenberg passed away and I was governor,” Christie said. “If I didn’t appoint myself to the United States Senate, the easiest way to get there, I sure as heck am not going to run for it.”
WATCH: Fmr. N.J. Gov. Chris Christie rules out a run for Senate if Sen. Menendez (D) runs for re-election.@GovChristie: “I had a chance to appoint myself to the U.S. Senate … If I didn’t appoint myself, the easiest way to get there, I sure as heck am not going to run for it.” pic.twitter.com/wsHC0bMvmp
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 24, 2023
Christie has joined the chorus of both Republicans and Democrats calling for Menendez to resign over the latest allegations.
The indictment against Bob Menendez is sickening. No public official making $174,000 a year should have nearly $500,000 in cash stuffed in clothes in his house, not to mention gold bars. He should resign.
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) September 23, 2023
I spent seven years of my career as US Attorney fighting political…
“There is no way that any public official has any legal, or plausible, or ethical explanation for having $500,000 in cash stuffed in jackets and envelopes throughout their home, gold bars that have the fingerprints, DNA of someone who you were attempting to fix the system for,” Christie told Welker.