New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday blamed the "sneaky" media for the scandal of his private beach use after he ordered all public beaches closed — and flat-out denied he was the victim of a germaphobic screaming fit by President Donald Trump on election night.
In a wide-ranging interview on MSNBC's "Deadline: White House," the Republican pushed back on host Nicolle Wallace's assertion he does not seem to care how the public perceives him.
"I do care, but I'm not going to sacrifice my family," Christie said. "I had to make a choice between political optics and my family... I'm picking my family."
Christie said friends and family were traveling for a gathering at the official governor's beach residence ahead of the July 4 holiday, and "I told everybody I was going to be at the beach" for several days beforehand, including on his radio show.
"It was about the media being sneaky... a politician caught" in what was played up as him being hypocritical and insensitive, he said.
Christie also denied a report he set up a call on his cell phone with President Barack Obama in case Trump won — and the famously germaphobic Trump screamed at him — "I don't want your f***ing phone."
Christie said he received a call from the White House as election returns showed Trump winning the election, with a query on how they could get a hold of Trump if need be.
"I told them 'just call my phone, and I'll give you his number,'" he expained. "[Trump] was happy about that."
He said Trump "doesn't owe me anything," he added. "I owe him the truth... and we have a friendship for 15 years.... I don't feel like he owes me a thing."
On the controversy over Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer he thought had damaging evidence on Hillary Clinton, Christie said he was "confident" then-candidate Trump was not aware of the meeting.
"I think he needs to get to the bottom of all this," he said. "I don't think anyone thinks this meeting was advisable."
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