New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday that Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was jailed over her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, should be moved to another job in government where her religious objections wouldn’t come into play.
Mr. Christie said first off, the country must be protective of religious liberty and that the Constitution has to be protected.
“People have a right to practice their religion,” the 2016 GOP presidential contender said on “Fox and Friends.” “Now, I’ve said what I would do with this woman is to move her to another job where this is not an objection for her. Because you have to follow the law.”
“And the law has to be these licenses have to be issued,” he said. “If she has a religious objection, we should move her to another job inside the government.”
And what if she refuses to go?
“Well, you know, then there’s going to be an issue,” he said. “But I think we should give her an option to do another job where her religious concerns are not [going to] be put into the crosshairs on this. And so we have to have respect for people, but … the government also has to function.”
Ms. Davis’ case has elicited different responses from some in the 2016 GOP field, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was set to head to Kentucky Tuesday for a rally to support her. Mr. Christie said he doesn’t think people should “grandstand” or “play politics” on the issue.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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