Chris Christie being considered as next attorney general: reports

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is being considered to replace outgoing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to multiple reports.

ABC and CNN both report that sources close to the selection process have told them that Christie, a longtime friend of President Trump’s who endorsed the former real estate magnate’s White House bid after dropping out of the 2016 race himself, is on the president’s shortlist.

{mosads}Christie served as a U.S. attorney in New Jersey between 2002 to 2008 and was considered a contender for attorney general during the 2016 transition.

A representative from the White House tells The Hill that they “have no personnel announcements at this time.”

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) is also reportedly on the president’s shortlist.

Trump announced Sessions’s resignation on Wednesday.

Matthew Whitaker, Sessions’s chief of staff, was appointed the acting attorney general by Trump later that day.

Christie’s last stint in elected office was marred by “Bridgegate,” when two of Christie’s former aides were charged with closing lanes on the George Washington Bridge in retribution against a mayor who refused to endorse Christie for reelection in 2014.

Prosecutors decided not to pursue Christie, saying they could not prove that he had knowledge of the closures.

After his unsuccessful presidential campaign, Christie helped run the White House transition and has kept close with the Trump administration since.

Updated at 11:50 a.m.