Real-estate and entertainment mogul Donald Trump on Monday said Chris Christie "did a great job" in his bridge-gate press conference last week, but a smoking gun in the New Jersey traffic scandal would be a "big problem" for the Republican governor.
"If there's a smoking gun out there, it's a problem. Big problem," Trump, also a potential 2014 New York GOP gubernatorial candidate, told "Fox & Friends."
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The scandal involves the closing of access lanes last September to the George Washington Bridge that connects New York and New Jersey, purportedly for political revenge.
Christie claimed he had no knowledge his deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly was involved in the closing that disrupted traffic for several days. Kelly was fired over the incident, Christie announced Friday.
Trump said if an email surfaces connecting Christie more directly to the controversy, it would be a big problem, because he had said he "knew nothing," and took the "no-holds-barred road" in claiming no knowledge about the issue.
"That's a very dangerous route. It's the best route. But, if something emerges, that's a big problem for Chris (Christie)," he said.
Trump explained he thought the amount of media attention given the bridge-gate scandal was because Christie "was somebody, and maybe is somebody, that would have done very well in the (2016 presidential) election." He said Christie "maybe still" would do well in a run for president.
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