Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s recent criticism of Donald Trump has prompted a sharp response from the former president, who is now threatening to reopen the investigation into the “Bridgegate” scandal that once plagued Christie’s administration.
During an appearance on ABC’s This Week, Christie accused Trump of turning the Justice Department into a political weapon, particularly against critics like former national security adviser John Bolton. “You were told that this was what he was going to do,” Christie said. “He told you he was going to have a Justice Department that acted as his personal legal representation—and that is what they’re doing.”
Trump fired back on Truth Social, dismissing Christie as “Sloppy Chris” and questioning his credibility. He then invoked Bridgegate, writing: “Chris refused to take responsibility for these criminal acts. For the sake of JUSTICE, perhaps we should start looking at that very serious situation again? NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!”
The Bridgegate scandal involved two senior aides to Christie who were convicted of creating traffic chaos on the George Washington Bridge in 2013 as political retaliation against a local Democratic mayor. Christie denied involvement and was never charged. In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions, ruling that while the actions were abusive, they did not amount to a federal crime.
In an ironic twist, both Trump and Christie celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision at the time—while also accusing the Obama administration of having politicized the Justice Department.