OPINION:
Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor and failed presidential candidate, has a new gig as a paid political contributor for ABC News.
And in his first television appearance in this new role, he sent a subtle warning President Donald Trump’s way that went like this: Don’t testify before special counsel Robert Mueller — the guy’s dangerous.
“Robert Mueller is not someone to be trifled with,” Christie said, The Hill noted. “And he’s not someone who takes lightly the words of anybody who he’s looking at.”
Good advice.
Even if the interview with Mueller went well, Trump would still have the press to contend with — make that, the anti-Trump press. The simple fact of Trump sitting down with Mueller to talk Russia would be construed and twisted and packaged by the mainstream media as an admission of guilt.
Trump’s a bold guy who doesn’t mind taking on the adversarial powers-that-be, but in this case, he’d do far better to stay quiet.
“I don’t think there’s been any credible allegations against the president of the United States,” Christie said. “And I don’t think the president of the United States, unless there are credible allegations, which I don’t believe there are, should be sitting across from a special counsel.”
Yep. Image counts, perception matters. And the image of a Trump being queried by a Mueller would not just sell newspapers, so to speak, today. It would be used by campaigning Democrats and left-leaning political funders and ultimately, lose Republicans elections for several tomorrows to come.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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