Chris Christie believes former President Donald Trump might consider a plea deal in the classified documents case on Tuesday.
Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and a one-time Trump ally is challenging the former president in the 2024 Republican presidential primary and has not shied away from his criticisms of the former president, including calling attention to his legal woes.
Trump in June pleaded not guilty to 37 counts after being indicted by the federal government for allegedly illegally taking classified documents, at least one of which dealt with the U.S. military, from the White House after leaving office and obstructing government efforts to retrieve the files.
Trump has maintained his innocence in the case, accusing prosecutors of engaging in a politically-motivated investigation aimed at weakening his stance in the 2024 race, and appears poised to bring the case to trial. However, Christie predicted during an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday morning that Trump may ultimately take a plea deal to avoid jail time.
He explained that Trump has always been fearful of going to jail, even years before entering presidential politics and before law enforcement launched numerous investigations into his conduct. Christie said that when he served as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey, Trump told him at the time, "I could never do that. I could never go to jail."
Christie predicted that if Trump turns down a plea deal and is convicted, the judge overseeing the case "is sending [him] to jail."
"I'm telling you, no matter what he says, no matter how he's bragging and goin' on and on about him not being afraid, he goes to bed every night thinking about the sound of that jail cell door closing behind him," Christie said.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment.
What Has Donald Trump Said About a Plea Deal?
Trump has stood by his innocence, arguing that any documents he took from the White House were declassified. He has said he believes he could declassify any document as president, even just by thinking about it rather than going through the formal declassification process. Legal experts have cast doubt on that defense, however.
Trump addressed the possibility of taking a plea deal during an interview with Politico last month. He told the news outlet that he believes he will not be convicted on federal charges but may accept a plea deal if it contains conditions "where they pay me some damages."
He added that he will continue running for president regardless of his legal troubles.
"I'll never leave," Trump said. "Look, if I would have left, I would have left prior to the original race in 2016. That was a rough one. In theory that was not doable."
Meanwhile, Trump's attorneys on Tuesday requested for the trial in the classified documents probe be pushed back until after the 2024 presidential election, pointing to concerns about selecting an impartial jury.
