Chris Christie says he warned Trump about Flynn


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) isn't a fan of Michael Flynn, President Trump's scandal-plagued former national security adviser, and told reporters Monday that he would never have let him have such a prominent role in the administration.
"I think it's safe to say that Gen. Flynn and I didn't see eye-to-eye," he said during a press conference in Trenton, New Jersey. "I didn't think that he was someone who would bring benefit to the president or to the administration, and I made that very clear to candidate Trump, and I made it very clear to President-elect Trump." Flynn was fired just a few weeks after the election and 18 days after then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates warned the White House that Flynn was vulnerable to blackmail due to his communications with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.
Flynn was not Christie's "cup of tea," he added, and he never would have let "Gen. Flynn into the White House, let alone give him a job." After dropping out of the Republican race, Christie became a supporter of Trump's, and led the transition team until he was replaced by Vice President Mike Pence following the election. While he was not friendly with Flynn, Christie said the rumors that they battled during intelligence briefings are false.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Sweden's Soft Hooligans: the fans who brought 'good vibes' to the Euros
Under the Radar Formed to create a fun fan atmosphere, the Swedish football supporter group has been bringing the party to the championship
-
Crossword: July 18, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Sudoku hard: July 18, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life