Chris Christie said Monday morning that Republican presidential candidates don’t yet have an agreement on how to force a change in the structure of debates going forward, after having met over the weekend.
“There is no deal in place, so that’s erroneous reporting,” Christie told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” Monday.
But Christie said at the same time that Republicans should stop complaining about the debate setup, and said all should be ready to debate regardless of who’s moderating.
“But, you know, stop complaining. Do me a favor – set up the stage, put podiums up there, and let’s just go,” he said.
Asked whether he agreed with widespread criticism of the CNBC-debate moderators, Christie said, “Yeah, but so what?”
“That’s just a statement of fact. They were not good, alright. Did it really effect the debate all that much?” he retorted. “Why are we spending time arguing and bickering about this? I’d rather spend my time talking to voters and talking about the issues that face the country.”
“Are we shocked that John Harwood is biased?” Christie added on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” later in the morning. “Please. I mean, Harwood has been that way his entire career.”
Surrogates from several presidential campaigns, Christie’s included, gathered in Virginia over the weekend to discuss how to pressure the Republican National Committee and various networks into adjusting the structure of future GOP debates.
Christie rose to sixth place in the Washington Examiner’s post-debate power rankings after a strong performance in the third debate. The Garden State Republican will need to score a 2.5 percent average in the national presidential polls to secure a spot in the next prime-time debate on Nov. 10 in Milwaukee.
