Weigel

Chris Christie: Not Actually a Hypocrite

Not to point out the obvious …

Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images

I’m a big fan of Chris Moody’s reporting, but I think he swings and misses with this one. Or maybe gets on base but is tagged out quickly. Someone, please send me better sports analogies.

Chris Christie criticized strategists for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign on Sunday, saying no one should “give a darn” about their political advice, but the New Jersey Republican governor isn’t nearly as dismissive of their input as he lets on.

During his re-election campaign this year, Christie hired a political consultancy firm run by Romney’s former top strategists and paid more than $46,000 for their services.

But he didn’t pay for “advice.” As he did in 2009, Christie paid the Stevens & Schriefer Group to make stirring campaign ads. They did so, coming up with a campaign that referred to Christie, simply, as “the governor.” 

Point is, I don’t think Christie sees this as a deal between himself and “Romney advisers.” He re-upped with the firm that did his 2009 ads; he paid them to portray him as an awesome governor.