Christie Kushner

Gov. Chris Christie (left) and Jared Kushner are shown in file photo.

TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday morning denied that he and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, have a tense relationship, even though Christie helped put Kushner's father in prison more than a decade ago.

"That stuff is ancient history," the New Jersey governor said during a television interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." "It's over 12 years ago."

Christie, a longtime Trump friend and adviser, confirmed Wednesday that the president, a fellow Republican, has tapped him to chair a commission to battle the opioid addiction epidemic in America.

That falls under the purview of a new office Trump has put Kushner, a special White House adviser, in charge of to overhaul the federal bureaucracy and deliver on campaign promises.

"Jared and I have worked incredibly well on this issue and, by the way, on a whole bunch of other issues during the campaign," Christie said on ABC. "We are working hard because we know our job is to try to make sure that this White House is as successful as it can be for the people of this country who elected Donald Trump to bring change to our country and bring change to this town. And anything I can do to help I will."

"And Jared and I get along just great," he added.

.@ChrisChristie denies rift with Jared Kushner, says the pair "get along just great." https://t.co/6zBMnpctOW pic.twitter.com/PLrmERWjPR — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 29, 2017

Christie was New Jersey's U.S. attorney when he prosecuted Kushner's father, real estate developer Charles Kushner, for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign donations in the mid-2000s. Charles Kushner spent two years in federal prison.

There have been reports over the past year of lingering animosity between Christie and Jared Kushner -- who, like the governor, grew up in Livingston. Some reports citing anonymous sources said Kushner, 36, was instrumental in keeping Christie from becoming vice president and U.S. attorney general.

But Kushner has also downplayed those stories.

"Six months ago, Gov. Christie and I decided this election was much bigger than any differences we may have had in the past, and we worked very well together," Kushner told Forbes in November. "The media has speculated on a lot of different things, and since I don't talk to the press, they go as they go, but I was not behind pushing out him or his people."

The Washington Post reported this weekend that Christie and Kushner have met for several weeks to discuss the opioid commission. It was also reported they had lunch in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

To be a fly on the wall: Jared Kushner is planning to have lunch with Chris Christie tomorrow, per an administration official. — Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 27, 2017

Christie will join Trump at the White House later Wednesday for a roundtable discussion on the opioid crisis.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.