CNN town hall with Chris Christie

Chris Christie said that his tenure as a Republican governor in the blue state of New Jersey sets him apart from other Republican contenders in the presidential race.

Christie added that he believes that one of the biggest frustrations Americans have is that "Washington gets nothing done."

He went on to say that, unlike GOP governors from red states, he was able to pass legislation by working with Democrats.

"You need a strong leader who can go in there and knows how to do this. And with all due respect to these governors from red states who have Republican legislatures, man I'm telling you I would have given my right arm to have a Republican legislature for a week," he said.

He then touted his experience as someone who can work across the aisle to accomplish things for the American people.

Some background: Christie was first elected New Jersey governor in 2009, unseating Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. He easily won reelection in the blue state in 2013. He served as US attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, a period in which he successfully prosecuted the father of Trump’s son-in-law and former aide Jared Kushner on criminal tax evasion and witness tampering charges.

Christie himself was engulfed in the “Bridgegate” scandal during his second term as governor. Emails and texts from top aides showed that the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September 2013, which caused massive traffic jams, stemmed from a political vendetta after the town’s Democratic mayor declined to endorse Christie’s gubernatorial reelection. A federal investigation determined that Christie had no knowledge of the decision to close the lanes, but the scandal continued to follow the former governor.

At the end of his tenure, Christie was highly unpopular in his home state, recording the lowest approval rating for any governor in more than 20 years among states surveyed by the Quinnipiac University Poll.

CNN's Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton contributed reporting to this post.

GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie said Monday that if elected president, he would keep Christopher Wray as FBI director

“If he wanted to stay, I would keep him,” Christie said in CNN's town hall, adding he'd appoint an attorney general who Wray would know he'd have to report to and would hold Wray to the same standards he would hold the US Justice Department.

Christie's statement puts him in direct contrast with Ron DeSantis who said he would fire Wray on his first day as president.

Chris Christie said that he could see the trial of former President Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case go to trial before the 2024 election.

Christie, who is the former governor of New Jersey and a former prosecutor, said there is a “rocket docket” in the Florida district where the case is being tried.

“They're a district, the Southern District of Florida, that cares about the Speedy Trial Act, which says 70 days from the day of your initial appearance, which is tomorrow. They won't do that because it's too complex a case. But could I see this case going to trial in six to eight months from tomorrow? I could," Christie said.

Trump is expected in court in Miami on Tuesday for an arraignment. Special counsel Jack Smith has also said he wanted a speedy trial while protecting the former president's rights.

Chris Christie said Monday night that other Republican presidential candidates aren't commenting on what's in Trump's indictment because "it's indefensible – they're playing games." 

"They're playing political games with you," Christie said to the audience at a CNN town hall, adding that he believes other candidates are hoping Trump will "implode" and they'll be able to capitalize.

Voters should instead decide which candidate is "the most honest, forthright leader" and "put that person behind the desk" as president, the former New Jersey governor said.

If elected, Christie vowed not to interfere with the work of the attorney general, saying that he would tell whoever he appointed:

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie outlined on Monday what he said were the three most egregious actions by former President Donald Trump as outlined in the federal indictment.

Asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper which of the 37 charges he finds most egregious, Christie responded, "Can I get the three most?"

The former New Jersey governor went on to explain the charges that stuck out to him, including:

As news of former President Donald Trump's indictment in Florida made headlines over the weekend, former Attorney General Bill Barr called the 37 criminal charges Trump is facing in the indictment as "very damning."

Presidential hopeful Chris Christie said he agreed with Barr's comments on "Fox News Sunday."

More on the indictment: Special counsel Jack Smith returned an historic indictment against Trump that was unsealed Friday, the first time that a former president has been charged with crimes in federal court.  

Trump faces a total of 37 counts, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information. His aide, Walt Nauta, faces six counts, including several obstruction and concealment-related charges stemming from the alleged conduct. 

The 49-page indictment included new details about how Trump allegedly took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in 2021 and resisted the government’s attempts to retrieve the classified materials.   

Trump is expected to appear in a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday to be arraigned.  

Read key takeaways from the indictment here. 

Chris Christie told voters that he believes another Donald Trump presidency would be worse than his first term in office because Trump doesn't care about the American people.

Speaking at a CNN town hall Monday, Christie said Trump has shown “to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view," especially after he left office.

Presidents should be thinking about what to do for Americans, Christie said, “not what scores you need to settle for yourself."

CNN's Anderson Cooper opened tonight's town hall with GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie by asking him why he wanted to run for president again — and how he made the case to his family. Christie said that it was "the opposite" with his wife, Mary Pat Christie, who made the case to him to run.

Christie said that his wife told him that he has "a unique set of skills that need to be in this race" and that she told him he needed "to do this."

"And she was making the argument. So, Anderson, when your wife is making the argument and you're the candidate, go. Just go. Don't ask questions, just go," Christie said.

More on Christie's career: Christie is making his second bid for the White House, following an unsuccessful attempt in 2016. He ended up backing former President Donald Trump that year and again four years later, when he also helped the then-president with debate preparation. Christie turned on his onetime ally after Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and has since established himself as one of the former president’s chief GOP critics.  

CNN's Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton contributed reporting to this post. 

CNN's town hall with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in New York is happening now — less than a week after he officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign.

Christie is answering questions from CNN's Anderson Cooper and a live audience comprised of Republican voters.

Christie is making his second bid for the White House, following an unsuccessful attempt in 2016. He ended up backing Trump that year and again four years later, when he also helped the then-president with debate preparation.

But Christie turned on his onetime ally after Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and has since established himself as one of the former president’s chief GOP critics.

Christie kicked off his presidential campaign last week with a lacerating indictment of Trump, calling him a “lonely, self-consumed mirror hog” who, by force of personality alone, represents a threat to the republic.

Christie is seeking to appeal to more establishment-friendly Republican conservatives and believes he is best positioned to take on Trump in the primary while also appealing to independent voters.

Where you can watch: The town hall is streaming live, without requiring a cable login, on the CNN.com homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android, and CNN OTT and mobile apps or live TV.

The town hall will also be available on demand beginning Tuesday to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN OTT apps and cable operator platforms.