Former President Donald Trump "needs to be smart and careful" about what he does after the judge in his 2020-election related case put some restrictions on what he can say, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a rival for the GOP presidential nomination, said Sunday.
"I think it is impossible to not have politics inform some of this case," Christie said on ABC News' "This Week." "It's not a normal criminal case, and so politics is going to inform some of it, but I also think Donald Trump needs to be smart and careful about this if that's at all possible, [as] he is a criminal defendant."
If Trump is indicted this week, as is anticipated, that will mean the front-runner for the GOP nomination will be "out on bail in four different jurisdictions in New York, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta," he said.
On bail, people are subject to certain restrictions, said Christie, who is also a former federal prosecutor.
"The reason you're subject to those restrictions is because a grand jury has found that there's probable cause that you've committed criminal acts, and there's not a presumption that you should stay out of jail at that point," said Christie. "They put certain restrictions on you to stay out of jail."
As the situation is unprecedented, voters must ask themselves if Trump can defeat President Joe Biden or any other Democrat in November 2024, said Christie.
"When are we going to stop pretending that this is normal?" he added.
Christie also said Sunday that he hasn't yet signed a party loyalty pledge required by the Republican National Committee to participate in the upcoming GOP debate on Aug. 23, as he hasn't yet been presented with it, but he's also not sure if he wants to sign it.
Trump hasn't yet committed to taking part in the debate, and last week said in an interview he wouldn't sign it if that meant backing rivals like Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Christie said it doesn't surprise him that Trump hasn't agreed to the debate or the pledge, as "He plays misdirection all the time."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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