Donald Trump's Tuesday arrest was a fate he worked to avoid his entire life, according to former New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie.
Throughout his relationship with the former president, Christie claimed that Trump avoided leaving a "paper trail" and used "code" language to hedge against legal jeopardy.
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"What we're talking about here is something that he has worked hard his entire life to avoid by the way he conducts his business. No emails, no text messages," Christie told ABC. "When he speaks to you about business, he speaks in a kind of code language where you don't always know exactly what he's saying, but you kind of get a feeling for what he's implying."
.@GovChristie says former Pres. Trump has always been careful to "avoid" leaving a “paper trail.”
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 4, 2023
“I never got an email from him in the 22 years I’ve known him. Never got a text message from him in the 22 years I’ve known him. He just doesn't do it.” https://t.co/8kgqCUdZL7 pic.twitter.com/DpJW00eKU4
Christie befriended Trump in the early 2000s during his time as the U.S. attorney for New Jersey. He later became one of Trump's first 2016 GOP foes to endorse him for president but has since soured on him, and the two have traded barbs publicly.
"He's done all that because I think Roy Cohn taught him to do that. Not to have any paper trail. And so, this is gonna be interesting to see what's in the indictment. What documents they have, I can guarantee you this much — they're not from Donald Trump," Christie added.
Cohn was a lawyer who worked for Trump and was famous for assisting former Wisconsin GOP Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare hearings about the spread of communism.
Trump was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to 34 counts in the criminal indictment handed down by a grand jury last week. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office reportedly investigated the alleged falsification of business documents connected to hush money payments to women who claimed to have had an affair with Trump.
Throughout his career, Trump has found himself embroiled in a series of court cases, but Christie emphasized those were civil lawsuits and that he is now facing a much more serious process.
"I think his normal practice that he's been successful at on the civil side will have much less success on the criminal side of things. He may have some but much less success," Christie predicted.
Christie has publicly insisted that he is withholding judgment on the case against Trump until the indictment is unsealed. He is actively considering a 2024 run and has indicated he will reveal his plans within the coming weeks.
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Trump has denied wrongdoing and is expected to address the charges levied against him later in the day from Mar-a-Lago.
He is the first sitting or former U.S. president to be hit with criminal charges. President Ulysses Grant was arrested after speeding, but he was not indicted.