Chris Christie being considered to replace Sessions as AG, report says

Then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a news conference on Jan. 9, 2014, at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. (Associated Press)

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is reportedly being considered as a replacement for ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to a report.

Sources close to the matter told CBS News on Thursday that Christie, a one-time presidential candidate, is part of a list that includes former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, outgoing Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, and former Attorney General William Barr, who served under President George H.W. Bush, CBS reported.

Another name said to be on the shortlist is that of Janice Rogers Brown, a retired federal appeals court judge who also served on the California Supreme Court and was a past colleague of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Two sources told CBS News that no decisions have been made yet and that the list could still grow.

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Sessions resigned as attorney general Wednesday at the request of President Trump. The former U.S. senator from Alabama was once one of the president’s most loyal and trusted advisers before infuriating Trump over his recusal from the Russia investigation.

Matthew Whitaker, chief of staff to Sessions, was named acting attorney general until a permanent replacement can be decided on.

Christie, a longtime friend of the president’s, endorsed Trump after dropping out of the 2016 presidential campaign. Christie also oversaw the transition process before Trump took office.

But their relationship has been complicated by the fact that Christie, while a U.S. attorney in New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, convinced real estate developer Charles Kushner to accept a plea deal on corruption charges in 2004. Kushner, now 64, is the father of the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Christie later served two terms as governor of New Jersey, from January 2010 to January 2018. He left the office because of the state's term-limit laws.