New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shrugged off not being Donald Trump’s running mate and tore into Hillary Clinton like the former federal prosecutor he is.
In his address, the former presidential candidate tried to soften Trump’s image, talking about him as a “friend,” adding that America would be led by “a caring, genuine and decent person” if elected. He also spent the vast majority of his time lambasting Clinton in a preview of the attack dog and former federal prosecutor Trump could have selected as a running mate.
“In the past few weeks we have seen this Justice Department refuse to prosecute her. Over the last eight years, we have seen this administration refuse to hold her accountable for her dismal record as secretary of state,” Christie said. “So let’s do something fun tonight. Tonight, as a former federal prosecutor, I welcome the opportunity to hold her accountable for her performance and her character.”
Christie went on to spend the next 12 minutes trashing Clinton, hitting her for a cavalcade of actions and playing a game of “guilty or not guilty” with the crowd when he mentioned various issues Clinton dealt with during her tenure as secretary. At one point to stop the crowd, he told them that “we’re not done yet — the indictment is hardly complete.”
He rattled off her handling of the situations in Libya and Syria, her work on and support for the Iranian nuclear agreement, her actions that helped the Islamic State rise, while also using FBI Director James Comey’s words against her regarding her emails.
“Time after time the facts, and just the facts, lead you to the same verdict — both around the world and at home,” Christie said, the crowd replying, “Guilty!” each time.
“Her focus group tested persona, with no genuineness to be found, is a sham meant to obscure all the facts and leave you able to vote for her,” he added.
He finished off his speech by touting Trump, arguing that he is “unafraid” and “understand the frustrations and the aspirations” of Americans everywhere.
“We have an alternative. We have a man who is unafraid,” Christie said. “We have a man who wants to lead us. We have a man who understands the frustrations and the aspirations of our fellow citizens.”
“We have a man who judges people based on their performance regardless of your gender, race, ethnic or religious background,” he added as part of his finale. “We do not need to settle for less. We cannot reward incompetence and deceit. We need to demand more than what Hillary Clinton offers for America.”
The speech came four years after he delivered a roundly derided keynote address before the RNC in support of Mitt Romney in Tampa Bay, during which he spoke mostly about himself and not Romney.
