New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — languishing in the polls amid the Donald Trump surge — trained his fire on the Republican Congress Wednesday, saying they had “done nothing” this year.  

In an appearance on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt’s program , Christie took aim at Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and sought to tar the Republican senators running for office with the same d0-nothing brush. Asked whether Boehner and McConnell should capitulate to the White House’s demands for Planned Parenthood funding and other spending, Christie launched into a broad indictment of Republican leadership:

“Well, they’ve put themselves in this position. Speaker Boehner and Senator McConnell put themselves in this position. I would have passed tax reform months ago, real tax reform that Republicans are for, and put it on the president’s desk. I would have passed a repeal and the replacement of Obamacare, and put it on the president’s desk. I would have passed a restriction of the president’s regulatory ability and put it on his desk, and made him decide whether he wanted to veto those things or not so the American people would know who the real obstructionist is.”

Christie said the Republican senators running also bear the blame:

“But instead, the Republican Congress, and this includes Senator Rubio, Senator Cruz, Senator Paul, all the folks who are standing on that stage now saying they want to be president. But the fact is, this Congress has done nothing.”

Christie also said he’d nuke the filibuster — and send the likes of congressional lifers like Boehner and McConnell packing to boot:

“You bet I’d get rid of the filibuster. And by the way, and the other thing I’d do, is put term limits on these people. They’ve all been around for too long. 12 years for everybody.”

McConnell, for his part, said last month the Senate under his leadership already had “an extraordinary record of accomplishment.” Christie, like other GOP presidential contenders, also slammed the Iran deal and said Obama and Democrats would now be responsible for any threat to Israel that emerges from the “ridiculous” agreement. He said he’d back Israel if they decide to attack Iran on their own before Obama leaves office, and said he believes lawmakers were bought off.  

“I want to know how much they got paid,” he said. “I want to know what the president promised them to get their votes, because some of these folks, it makes no sense given their past statements on foreign policy why they would ever vote for this Iranian deal. … There are individual members of Congress, the House and the Senate, who had to have been bought off.”  

Christie also talked up a tougher approach with China, saying he would send Navy ships into disputed waters claimed by China near newly constructed islands and would fly over the disputed area in Air Force One while calling the Chinese president to say he was doing it.  

Related:

Chris Christie’s Conundrum


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