Chris Christie to Mueller: Be Careful to Avoid a Fishing Expedition

Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday warned special counsel Robert Mueller to be "very careful" that his reported aim to follow the money trail in a Russia probe doesn't turn into "a fishing expedition."

In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," the New Jersey Republican also said Mueller's empaneling of a grand jury in the investigation is "typical."

"You can't issue subpoenas without a grand jury," he said. "It's the grand jury that actually issues the subpoenas. And so I think Bob Mueller wanted a grand jury focused on this so he could issue subpoenas and then review the evidence. That's a typical thing to be done in any investigation."

Christie praised Mueller as a  prosecutor, but said he also needs to be a "careful" one.

"I trust that he'll be very careful to try not to go on a fishing expedition," he said. "There's always temptation to do that. I hope that that's not what he does. I hope the focus remains on what may have motivated any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, if, in fact, any collusion happened at all."

The governor — harshly criticized for lounging on a state beach where the gubernatorial mansion is located during a government shutdown — also issued an invite to President Donald Trump to visit the Jersey Shore during his vacation.

"Look, the president is welcome at the gubernatorial beach house anytime he wants," Christie said. "We would welcome him with open arms for him to come and take some time at the Jersey Shore."

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