Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ripped his 2024 GOP presidential rival Ron DeSantis on Wednesday after the Florida governor ducked a question about the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.
During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday, DeSantis was asked by a high schooler whether former President Donald Trump “violated the peaceful transfer of power” on Jan. 6, 2021, by seeking to overturn his loss in the most recent presidential election. DeSantis avoided giving a direct answer, saying only that he “didn’t enjoy” seeing what happened at the Capitol.
“I wasn’t anywhere near Washington that day. I have nothing to do with what happened that day,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t enjoy seeing what happened. But we’ve got to go forward on this stuff. We cannot be looking backwards and be mired in the past.”
Five people died and around 140 officers were injured after hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol seeking to prevent Joe Biden’s certification as president, in one of the most shocking events in U.S. history.
Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Christie reacted incredulously to DeSantis’ comments.
“He ‘wasn’t anywhere near Washington,’” Christie sneered, quoting the Floridian. “Did he have a TV? Was he alive that day? Did he see what was going on? I mean, that’s one of the most ridiculous answers I’ve heard in this race so far.”
Unlike many of his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination, Christie has called out Trump over his actions in office, including his role in the Capitol insurrection. The former governor had been an early supporter of Trump but has since said that he made a “fundamental judgment error.”
Last week, Christie was booed at a social conservative conference in Washington after criticizing Trump for being “unwilling to take responsibility for … any of the things that he’s done.”
“You can boo all you want, but here’s the thing: Our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do,” he told attendees.
Christie currently trails both Trump and DeSantis in the 2024 race by a large margin, according to recent national- and state-level polls of GOP primary voters.
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