Chris Christie Sticks It to Jared Kushner and His Dad

Chris Christie's memoir Let Me Finish was released this week, but news broke two weeks ago that it contained a big accusation against Jared Kushner: that Kushner got him fired as the chair of President Trump's transition team in retribution for the events of 2005, in which then-federal-prosecutor Christie put Kushner's father in jail for tax evasion and witness tampering. On Tuesday, Christie elaborated, and none too kindly. In an interview on PBS' Firing Line With Margaret Hoover, the former governor put it like so: "It's one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was US attorney. And I was US attorney in New Jersey, Margaret, so we had some loathsome and disgusting crime going on there."

The New York Times recaps what was behind the witness tampering conviction: Charles Kushner admitted that he hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, who was helping the feds with a campaign finance probe. The elder Kushner had their encounter recorded and sent it to his sister. "Mr. Kushner pled guilty, he admitted the crimes. So what am I supposed to do as a prosecutor?" said Christie. The Washington Post has a relevant excerpt from the book: "Jared Kushner ... was exacting a plot of revenge against me. ... And Steve Bannon, hot-shot, big-balls campaign executive, was quietly acquiescing to it. What wimps, what cowards. And how disloyal to Donald Trump." Christie also stopped by the Late Show on Tuesday. The buzziest word: Stephen Colbert asked if he would have been a better president than Trump. "Yes," came the reply. (More Chris Christie stories.)