OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Fox News host and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had harsh words for GOP presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over a campaign strategy she believes won’t get him anywhere with the Republican base.
Christie, a former federal prosecutor known for frequently criticizing McEnany’s former boss, leading GOP candidate Donald Trump, has been lauding the Biden Justice Department and the FBI, despite their unprecedented targeting of the former president. Trump has faced multiple indictments, including one for an alleged offense — mishandling classified documents — that President Joe Biden himself has faced accusations of committing.
Earlier on Fox News, Christie said in reference to FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony before a House committee earlier in the day: “I did recommend him to President Trump, and I’m proud that I did.”
“Those things they’re talking about today, and the director made this point over and over again, are all things from when Jim Comey, Eric Holder, and Loretta Lynch were in charge of the Justice Department — before he got put in charge,” Christie said. “He fired the entire Comey leadership team out of the FBI, they’re all gone.”
“Is it all fixed? Of course, it’s not all fixed. Jim Comey and Eric Holder, and Loretta Lynch drastically harmed the Department of Justice and the FBI. And Chris Wray has now spent years fixing that,” Christie added. “What you saw today was an animated and combative FBI director who is defending the men and women who work for him… and do a great job…”
He added: “So yeah, I think Chris Wray has done a very good job, and I think a lot of the stuff you see today is theater, people trying to raise money for campaigns.”
After Christie’s recent defense of Wray, McEnany said during a segment on “Outnumbered” that it won’t win over many Republicans, let alone supporters of Trump.
“Best of luck to Chris Christie with that message in a GOP primary, which has tremendous distrust for the FBI,” she said.
After noting that Wray has made some positive changes and done some good things at the bureau, she also said much of what is wrong today he hasn’t addressed.
“There’s a lot of questions for him — this ‘radical traditionalist Catholic’ memo which he rescinded, he said he was ‘aghast’ by it. But yet he won’t allow the authors of that before Congress,” she added.
“None of this instills confidence in the American people, many of whom have distrust for the FBI.”
WATCH:
Some Republicans in Congress are fed up with what they see as Biden’s ongoing politicized prosecutions against Trump, including ally Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The frustrated Georgia Republican gave an ultimatum to her fellow House GOP members on Thursday amid inaction on impeaching Biden and moves to protect former Trump from ongoing prosecutions.
During a town hall-style event in her Floyd County, Ga., district Thursday evening, the GOP congresswoman announced she would not vote to fund the government if House Republican leaders did not move to have articles of impeachment filed against Biden and do more to protect Trump from federal prosecutions.
“I’ve already decided I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden,” Taylor Greene told the audience, to applause.
“I will not fund the government because I will not fund the weaponized part of the government. I’m not going to continue to fund the Biden regime’s weaponized government. So there should be no funding for Jack Smith. Special Counsel,” she said. “We had to fire David Weiss, who is protecting Hunter Biden on his special counsel. And we have to rein in the FBI. I will not vote for money to go towards those things.
“I will not vote for a continuing resolution that funds mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and COVID. Because that is over. Joe Biden even declared that is over,” she added.
“And lastly, my red line in the sand has always been, I will not vote to fund a war in Ukraine. We have to have peace,” she said. “So I will be happy to work with all of my colleagues. I will work with the Speaker of the House. I will work with everyone, but I will not fund those things. And I thought it was most important for me to tell you all first because I work for you. And that’s what we have to do.”
