Chris Christie’s new television ad is the clearest evidence yet that his campaign is in desperation mode—and that he is willing to say or do anything to get back in the media spotlight.
Christie disgustingly compares Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email to ISIS beheading civilians and religious minorities in the Middle East, an attack that should be beneath anyone who aspires to be commander in chief. But Christie doesn’t stop there. He also launches a series of disconnected broadside attacks that are easily refuted by his own record.
Here’s a word to the wise for the struggling Christie campaign: if your candidate is the one who cut police funding, who presided over a statewide wave of drug overdoses, and who actually faced a federal criminal investigation, maybe dial it back a bit on the law-and-order rhetoric.
| Chris Christie ad | The Facts |
| “Sanctuary cities engulfing Americans in crime. Drugs running rampant and destroying lives. ISIS beheading Christians. Iranian radicals and nuclear weapons.” | Under Chris Christie, New Jersey diverted state funds into private halfway houses that allowed at least 1,300 inmates to escape during his first 29 months in office.Drug overdose was the number one cause of accidental death in New Jersey. |
| “Now, Hillary Clinton thinks the law doesn’t apply to her. Really?” |
Chris Christie faced a federal criminal investigation over his appointees’ practice of “dismissing indictments against political allies of the governor.”New York Times: “Christie Broke Law With Pension Move, New Jersey Judge Says,”Chris Christie’s “administration broke the law when it said power plant operators no longer needed to comply with rules.”A top aide to Chris Christie ordered lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to punish the mayor of Fort Lee “after he did not endorse the governor for re-election.”
David Wildstein, a former Port Authority executive and Christie appointee, pleaded guilty for his role in the Bridgegate lane closure conspiracy. Christie’s deputy chief of staff and appointee as deputy executive director of the Port Authority were indicted on nine counts connected to the Bridgegate conspiracy. Chris Christie’s ally and appointee as chairman of the Port Authority, David Samson, resigned under investigation by the U.S. Attorney of New Jersey for his role in the Bridgegate scandal. |
| “We need a strong law enforcer as president.” | 2011: Chris Christie cut $50 million to help towns hire police officers and firefighters.2010: Chris Christie’s budget included cuts to police jobs. |
| “Someone who says what he means and means what he says.” | Star-Ledger Editorial: Chris Christie’s “combativeness is counterproductive and breeds the kind of hate speech that plagues the nation.”Chris Christie expressed regret for calling a former Navy SEAL an “idiot.” |
| “We can do it. Let’s make America a leader again. I’m Chris Christie and I approve this message.” [Chris Christie ad, “Law Enforcer,” 8/24/15] | If the contents of this advertisement are any evidence, America can’t afford Chris Christie’s brand of leadership. |