New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says 2016 GOP presidential rival Donald Trump’s claim that people in New Jersey could be seen cheering after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is “just wrong.”
“All I know are the facts … that what went on that day in New Jersey was not anything like what he said, and there’s no film or video of it to prove it,” Mr. Christie said in an interview that aired Tuesday on CNN’s “New Day.” “He says he saw it on TV — it didn’t happen.”
Asked why he isn’t calling Mr. Trump out on it, Mr. Christie said: “Everybody knows it didn’t happen, so what’s the use?”
“Should [I] join the cacophony?” he said. “I’m about distinguishing myself and making myself different from everybody else in a 14-person field.”
Asked whether it’s “outrageous” that Mr. Trump keeps saying these things, Mr. Christie said: “It’s wrong. It’s just wrong. It’s factually wrong.”
“Everybody else can determine whether they think it’s outrageous or not outrageous. In the context of Donald, outrageous is a high bar,” he said.
Mr. Trump has not backed down from the claim, saying he’s received hundreds of calls and many tweets backing him up.
Asked this week on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” why nobody can find a video of it, Mr. Trump said: “They’ll find something. They’re going to find something.”
“But don’t forget, 14, 15 years ago it wasn’t like it is today where you press a button and you play a video,” Mr. Trump said. “Fourteen, 15 years ago they don’t even put it in files — they destroy half of the stuff. You know, if you look back 14, 15 years, that was like ancient times in terms of cinema and in terms of news and everything else. They don’t have the same stuff. Today you can press a button and you can see exactly what went on two years ago. But when you go back 14, 15 years, that’s like ancient technology.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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