MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Tuesday hammered New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) with some tough questions about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer who claimed to have negative information on Hillary Clinton. "You think the president's judgment is that Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and Don Jr. handled this meeting well?" asked Wallace, who served as communications chief under former President George W. Bush.
Christie, a campaign surrogate for President Trump and a former federal prosecutor, paused before answering. "I don't think I've heard the president say that, and I don't think I've seen him tweet it," Christie said. He argued instead that Trump Jr., Kushner, and Manafort should've gone to the campaign's lawyer — as opposed to the FBI — as soon as they were offered compromising information by the Russian lawyer.
But while reading that email "would have rang bells" for Christie, who has decades of experience in politics, Christie noted that Trump Jr. does not have the same background. "I'm saying he's not sophisticated in this stuff," Christie said of the president's son. "You're basically saying Don Jr. is dumb," Wallace fired back.
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.
Christie insisted that he was "not here defending the taking of the meeting," but arguing that it's less "evidence of a crime" than proof of a lack of judgment. "I don't think anybody really thinks that this meeting was advisable," Christie said.
Watch Wallace interrogate Christie below. Becca Stanek
-
Will online age checks doom internet freedom?Today's Big Question Or do they protect children from harm?
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billionsSpeed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
