Bannon: 'Billy Bush weekend' cost Christie a Cabinet post

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon told "60 Minutes" that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was out of the running for a Cabinet position after his critical response to the "Access Hollywood" tape, in which Donald Trump bragged about groping women.

"Christie, because of Billy Bush weekend, was not looked at for a Cabinet position," Bannon said in an interview with Charlie Rose. Bush was the host of Access Hollywood in 2005, when Trump made the remarks, which resurfaced during the presidential campaign and caused several top Republicans to distance themselves from the nominee.


When the tape surfaced, Christie called Trump's words "unacceptable," but said he was still supporting Trump in his bid for office.

“That kind of talk and conversation — even in private — is just unacceptable,” he said in October 2016. “I was really disturbed and disappointed by it and embarrassed for him and his family.”

Bannon said those remarks cost Christie a position in the administration.

"I told him the plane leaves at 11 o'clock in the morning," Bannon said. "If you're on the plane, you're on the team. Didn't make the plane."

POLITICO previously reported that Trump offered Christie several jobs, including the labor secretary job, which he turned down.

Christie spokesman Brian Murray said on Friday that Bannon's claims were "factually incorrect."

"As has been widely reported, the governor had been offered multiple Cabinet positions in addition to other senior posts in the White House and elsewhere," Murray said in a statement. "He chose to stay as governor and complete his term. Any assertion to the contrary is simply factually incorrect."