Chris Christie: Donald Trump ‘Not a Racist,’ ‘Has the Right to Express’ His Opinion

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is defending presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump’s statement about Judge Gonzalo Curiel possibly being biased in a fraud case against Trump University, saying Trump has a right to express his opinion and that Trump isn’t a racist.

“In the end, there are always going to be conflicts regarding civil lawsuits. There are always going to be opinions. Those are Donald’s opinions. And he has the right to express them, the same way anybody else has the right to express their views regarding how they’re treated in the civil or criminal courts in this country. That’s part of what free speech is about,” Christie stated to reporters on Tuesday in Mendham Township, New Jersey.

“Let’s focus on what needs to be focused on here, and quite frankly, I think you all are paying much too much attention on this,” Christie added.

“The fact is, the media loves controversy, the media loves to pay attention to this stuff and to work it up,” Christie countered. “I understand why. I’ve lived with that over the course of time, too, but the fact of the matter is people who are going to vote today in New Jersey and people who are going to vote in November are not going to make their decisions based on this kerfuffle.”

Christie told the reports that he just voted for Trump in New Jersey’s primary, adding that his friend “is not a racist” and “allegations that he is are absolutely contrary to every experience that I’ve had with him over the last 14 years.”