Chris Christie Calls E. Jean Carroll Verdict ‘Silver Bullet’ Against Trump’s 2024 Run

Topline

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) blasted Trump for repeating claims that he didn’t know E. Jean Carroll after jurors found him liable for sexual abuse, predicting Wednesday the jury’s determination would be the “silver bullet that ends Donald Trump’s candidacy”—adding to the list of GOP lawmakers casting doubt on Trump’s electability, while others stayed silent.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual … [+] Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 19, 2022. (Photo by WADE VANDERVORT/AFP via Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Christie, a frequent Trump critic who is weighing a run for president in 2024, told Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade Trump’s reaction to the verdict was “ridiculous,” adding “how many coincidences are we going to have here with Donald Trump? I mean, he must be the unluckiest S.O.B. in the world.”

Christie was referring to Trump’s claim on Truth Social that he has “absolutely no idea who [Carroll] is,” after a Manhattan civil court jury’s verdict that he sexually abused her inside a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 90s.

Multiple Republican lawmakers reacted unfavorably toward Trump following the Carroll verdict: presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told CBS News on Wednesday the decision “is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump.”

Republican Sens. Mike Rounds (S.D.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Mitt Romney (Utah) and Bill Cassidy (La.) also expressed distress in the wake of the verdict, with Rounds telling reporters Trump “would have a difficult time” being elected and Cassidy questioning “how could it do anything else but create concern?”

The criticism from some Republicans stood in contrast to the party’s response to Trump’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on falsified record charges last month, when Republicans widely echoed Trump’s claims that the case was a politically motivated “witch hunt” designed to prevent him from being re-elected.

That narrative appears to have resonated with Republican voters, who have said in recent polls they believe politics played a role in the Manhattan criminal investigation and overwhelmingly back him in hypothetical matchups for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Crucial Quote

“He just has, you know, random people he’s never met before who were able to convince a jury that he sexually abused them…the stories just continue to pile up,” Christie told Kilmeade, adding “this kind of conduct is unacceptable for somebody we call a leader.”

Contra

Some Republicans sidestepped questions about the verdict and defended Trump. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is weighing a 2024 run, said “I never heard or witnessed behavior of that nature” while he was serving alongside him in the White House. And former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is also running against Trump, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Wednesday the issue was “something for Trump to respond to.” Other GOP lawmakers suggested politics were at play in the jury’s decision. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Ga.) told reporters “the New York legal system is off the rails when it comes to Donald Trump” and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said “that jury is a joke, the whole case is a joke.”

Key Background

A Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her by denying the claims on Wednesday, marking a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement and adding to Trump’s legal woes. Carroll filed the case last year, following a change in New York laws that allowed any survivor of sexual assault to file a civil motion against their abuser no matter how long ago the incident occurred. The jury deliberated for three hours following the two-and-a-half week trial—in which Trump refused to testify—and awarded her a total of $5 million in damages.

Tangent

Republicans from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) rallied around former President Donald Trump following his history-making criminal indictment in Manhattan last month, attacking the probe as a “weaponization of the legal system.” Trump, who pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to hush money payments, promptly delivered a speech following his arraignment deriding the various law enforcement investigations against him.

Chris Christie Calls E. Jean Carroll Verdict ‘Silver Bullet’ Against Trump’s 2024 Run—Joining These Other GOP Lawmakers