I think it's fair to say that the former Republican governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, is not a fan of former President Donald Trump. He hasn't been shy about that fact. 

He is also running for the Republican nomination and has spent most of his time trying to attack Trump. That hasn't been particularly successful, as the former president is leading in the polls by a wide margin. 

But even Christie found the decision by the Colorado Supreme Court booting Trump off the primary ballot under the 14th Amendment for insurrection to be problematic. 

Donald Trump should not be prevented from being President by any court. He should be prevented from being President of the United States by the voters of this country. pic.twitter.com/77ChhLFkFz

— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) December 20, 2023

Christie noted first that he hadn't had the opportunity to read the opinion so he wasn't making a comment about the legal specifics of the decision itself. 

But he said he didn't think that Trump should be prevented from the ballot by a court and he thought it was bad for the country if that was done. "Donald Trump should not be prevented from being President by any court. He should be prevented from being President of the United States by the voters of this country," he declared. 

Christie further noted there had been no trial finding Trump guilty of insurrection and that he felt very strongly about the right to a fair trial by a jury of his peers, and Trump didn't get one here. Christie said he didn't agree with this "on principle." 

He said he needed time to read the decision and would weigh in further on the ruling after he read it, and he thought it would cause a lot of anger in this country if the voters' choices were taken away from them. 

Goof for him for saying the right thing here. There are multiple questions about this ruling, not just factual problems that militate against a finding of insurrection but also where the insurrection clause in question would even apply to a president. Plus, as Christie noted, the greater question is about a court taking away the rights of voters. It's wrong to stomp on Trump's right to run, but it's also wrong to stomp on the rights of the voters for the candidate of their choice. And even if he isn't a fan of Trump, he's still standing on principle on the question. 

As my colleague Bob Hoge reported, Vivek Ramaswamy went a step further and showed class by being the first out with a statement, saying that he would pull his name if Trump wasn't on the ballot. I think that's the right move. All the Republican candidates should stand together against this and show them how wrong it is. 

We'll let you know if the other candidates weigh in on the decision. 

Not even Chris Christie is going to back the Colorado Supreme Court. That says it all. https://t.co/krnnPiJHmH

— Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) December 20, 2023

And taking that option away from voters in Colorado is actual disenfranchisement. https://t.co/tq2XMoTSy9

— Dana Marie 🇺🇸 (@conservdmc) December 20, 2023

Related:

Trump Team Blasts Political and 'Deeply Undemocratic' Colorado Decision Taking Away Rights of Voters