The White House Hammers Chris Christie For Saying Obama Doesn’t Support The Police

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The White House claimed another Republican scalp today as Press Secretary Josh Earnest ripped Chris Christie for falsely claiming that President Obama doesn’t support the police.

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Christie said, “We have liberal policies that tie the hands behind the backs of police officers and then when incidents happen, accuse them of misconduct first and then do the investigation later. And you’ve got a president of the United States who does not support law enforcement. Simply doesn’t.”

Here is a transcript of White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest’s reaction to Christie’s claim that Obama doesn’t care about cops:

Q Josh, New Jersey’s governor has spent the morning on television railing against the President for taking credit for things he didn’t do and repeating his claim that the President is insufficiently supportive of law enforcement. Do you have any reactions to his comments?

MR. EARNEST: Josh, I’ve noted before that Governor Christie’s comments in this regard have been particularly irresponsible, but not surprising for somebody whose poll numbers are closer to an asterisk than they are double digits. So clearly this is part of the strategy for turning that around. We’ll see if it works.

In other words, scoreboard. Chris Christie is a desperate Republican presidential candidate who is pulling a page out of the stale GOP playbook of criticizing Obama to get attention.

Christie’s argument is especially absurd when it was just five days ago that the President expressed his support and appreciation for the police while delivering a speech at the 122nd Annual IACP Conference.

During his speech, Obama said, “So for the remainder of the time that I am in this office, and then as a private citizen, I will do everything that I can to encourage cooperation, and work hard to make sure that the work that’s being done by law enforcement is appreciated and supported, and that we maintain this incredible progress that we’ve made in terms of reducing crime. But in order for us to do that, we do have to stick with the facts. What we can’t do is cherry-pick data or use anecdotal evidence to drive policy or to feed political agendas. If we stick with the facts and we maintain effective coordination across federal, state, and local agencies, then we’re going to continue the hard-fought progress that you and so many law enforcement officers have made over the past two decades that saves lives and keeps families intact.”

After Bridgegate doomed his image as a straight-talking problem solver, Chris Christie is trying to reinvent himself as the candidate of law and order. The White House was correct. Christie’s criticism of the President was more desperate flailing from a candidate who has no chance, no hope, and no clue when it comes to being elected president.

President Obama and his White House aren’t going to be anybody’s punching bag, and if Chris Christie wants to score cheap political points, he’d be better off looking somewhere else, because the Obama administration just put him in his place.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association