Chris Christie says White House has not called him about attorney general job

Charles Stile | NorthJersey

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Chris Christie, whose name is reportedly on President Donald Trump's short list for U.S. attorney general, said Wednesday that the White House has not contacted him about filling the post.

"I read the papers. I know the position is open,'' Christie said after addressing a group of Morris County officials at a League of Municipalities luncheon in Atlantic City. "Nobody has to tell me."

Christie refused to say whether he would accept the post if it's offered, and said, "The only person I owe an answer to that is the president of the United States. And he hasn’t asked, and if he asks it, I’ll answer, like I always do."

Christie said last year that he would accept the post as attorney general if it's offered. But he added that he has been "through this dance" of speculation before, beginning with speculation about a possible run for president in 2011, talk of being Republican nominee Mitt Romney's vice president in 2012 and talk in 2016 of being on Trump's short list for vice president.

"I love my life that I have right now,'' Christie said. "I'm more relaxed than I have been in 16 years. Mary Pat and I are enjoying our time ... together. I love my country and I’ve always been willing to serve, but I’m not somebody out campaigning."

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The attorney general's post became vacant last week when Trump fired Jeff Sessions. Trump has remained furious with Sessions for removing himself from oversight of the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller.

Trump and his allies have sought to discredit Mueller as a partisan hack who is leading a witch hunt. And many analysts expect Trump to select a permanent successor to Sessions who will close down the probe or conceal its findings.

Yet Christie on Wednesday vouched for Mueller, the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director who Christie worked with during his stint as United States attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008. Christie also praised Mueller at an event in Chicago in May.

Asked if his repeated support for Mueller might jeopardize his chances of being nominated, Christie said, "I have no idea. My job is to tell the truth and answer them as I know it and believe it. And I always found Bob Mueller to be a person of integrity and honesty and a hard worker, and he deserves great credit for the fact that there has been absolutely no leaking out of that operation."

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Christie also held forth on a range of state topics. He took a swipe at his Democratic successor, Gov. Phil Murphy, for failing to govern in a bipartisan fashion, expressed vindication for the initial success of legal sports betting, and criticized CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, who had his White House press credential stripped after a heated exchange with Trump.

During the exchange, Acosta blocked the arm of a White House intern who tried to take away his microphone. CNN has filed suit to reclaim the credential.

"You all now look at me like I was kind and gentle compared to what is going on there,'' said Christie, who was often combative with the New Jersey press during his two terms.

He added, "I think when somebody like Jim Acosta stands up and says 'I want to challenge you' in a press conference, it's not his job. If the question is challenging, just ask the question. But you don’t have to puff your chest up and say 'I’m going to challenge you.' I don’t think it's appropriate to do in any circumstance, especially to the president in the East Room of the White House."

Christie flashed some of his old combativeness when asked if Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Paul Matey, a former Christie administration counsel, was a preview of the "grilling" Christie could expect if Trump nominates him for attorney general. Matey, who has been nominated to be federal appeals court judge, was asked about his involvement in a wide range of Christie administration controversies and the George Washington Bridge lane closing scandal of 2013.

Christie told reporters that the committee's questions were a rehash of "old news, false stories that you guys wrote for years about me. So, If I get nominated again, you all will get famous again and get on cable television."