Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) repeated his promise to take his 2024 primary fight directly to coup-attempting and newly indicted former President Donald Trump on Monday, telling a national TV audience that Trumps conduct is putting the country through unnecessary trauma.

He is voluntarily putting our country through this, Christie said in a televised town hall event hosted by CNN . This is vanity run amok. Ego run amok. ... Everyone is blaming the prosecutors. He did this.

Christie, a former U.S. attorney, said the indictment by itself is damning the conduct in there is awful but that he also expects that special counsel Jack Smith has much, much more information he hasnt yet revealed. Theres probably about a third of the evidence they have in that indictment, he said.

He also criticized Republicans who have claimed that the weaponization of the Department of Justice is behind Trumps prosecution. Were in a situation where there are people in my own party who are blaming DOJ. How about, blame him? He did it, Christie said.

He flew the boxes up to New Jersey for summer vacation. What is this, like, theyre a family member? Christie said. Seriously, Ive got to have my boxes with me. Let me ask you a question. What exactly was he doing with them? Did someone remind him hes not the president anymore?