New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) denounced Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign team on Tuesday because of information they had leaked early this year about the GOP nominee’s vice presidential vetting process, calling it “a complete violation of trust.”
A few months ago, an aide to Romney passed on confidential information about people the former Massachusetts governor had vetted for his presidential ticket to journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. The two wrote about it in their new book “Double Down.”
{mosads}Christie was one of the potential running mates, and he said Romney had called him to apologize for the leak.
“Mitt called me right away, and I could tell he was really embarrassed and outraged about it,” the Republican governor of New Jersey said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.
“It’s very disappointing,” Christie said about the leaks. “I think it’s a complete violation of trust of me and the spirit within which I entered that process.”
Romney’s campaign had concerns about Christie’s weight and overall health, and was also worried about an incident when the Justice Department investigated Christie for exceeding governmental travel expense rates, the aide told the authors. Christie was then a federal prosecutor in New Jersey.
Ultimately, Romney passed over Christie, and instead chose Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) to join the presidential ticket.
The book also notes Romney dismissed Christie because he failed to provide all the necessary background information requested by the vetters.
Christie is expected to win in a landslide Tuesday in his reelection bid for the governor’s seat. He has led his Democratic opponent state Sen. Barbara Buono by a wide margin in recent polls.
The election has major implications for the 2016 presidential election, in which Christie has already openly expressed interest.