New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that if he were mayor of New York City, he would bring back the stop-and-frisk program, slamming Mayor Bill de Blasio for the policies he’s implemented.
“Stop-and-frisk would be back in about five minutes and we would empower the police, not undercut them,” Christie told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday. “And listen, if police officers step over the line, then they deserve to be taken care of and prosecuted. But this mayor presumes guilt on the part of the police officers before anything happens.”
The contentious police program allowed police officers to stop a pedestrian and search them for weapons and contraband, but was sharply criticized by criminal justice reform advocates who said it unfairly targeted African-Americans. Christie said that de Blasio, who ran on a platform which included reforming the program, is not the only mayor to have implemented “liberal policies.”
“It’s the liberal policies in this city that have led to the lawlessness that has been encouraged by the President of the United States,” Christie said.
“Sanctuary cities across the country, where if you are mayor, you don’t want to enforce the immigration law? Eh, don’t bother. Because the President doesn’t like those laws,” he said. “You want to get high in Colorado and Washington, even though marijuana is against the law in this country? Eh, go ahead.”
Christie said de Blasio has diminished the quality of life in New York City, adding that it’s “less safe.”