Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie met resistance from at least one on-air personality during his media tour to promote his new book, “Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden.” NBC News’ Nicolle Wallace said he wasn’t being “intellectually honest” when he failed to go after Fox News in a book ostensibly about the misinformation being given to conservatives.
“The book is about conspiracies and lies and you really don’t take on Fox News,” Wallace said in an interview with Christie Tuesday evening. “Why not?”
There was some crosstalk, but ultimately, Wallace got Christie to claim he does not watch Fox News’ star primetime host, Tucker Carlson, who is extremely influential in right-wing circles as well as the media at large. He insisted that his references to the media — specifically CNN and the New York Times — were not in the section of the book about conspiracy theories. Rather, he said, he accused those outlets of having bias.
“Is bias more dangerous to the country than conspiracy theorists?” Wallace asked.
“No, but that’s the third section of the book where I talk about the movement forward. In the second portion of the book, we talk about the conspiracy theories and the truth-denying that went on with things like Qanon, Pizzagate, the election situation, John Birch Society… that’s what I talk about. There’s two sections of the book and I’m sure you’re conflating them,” he responded.
“I’m not conflating them,” Wallace snapped back. “I don’t think it’s an intellectually honest case to make against conspiracy theories without taking on Fox News.”
Christie told her to “write that in [her] book.” Wallace, a former GOP communications specialist, shot back that she isn’t “trying to save the Republican party,” as the title of Christie’s book suggests he is.
Watch above, via MSNBC.