Gov Christie flip-flops on Syrian refugee question

In the days following the terrorist attacks in Paris, shock and sorrow quickly shifted to outrage and blame on the Republican campaign trail. From Donald Trump saying he would consider closing mosques to calls for religious tests for refugees, candidates seemed to be in a race to out-hawk each other.

And Chris Christie was not to be outdone.

He sent a letter to President Obama saying he would no longer accept Syrian refugees in New Jersey and told radio host Hugh Hewitt he wouldn’t even allow orphaned refugees under the age of five in the country. It was a quick flip from two months ago when he said America should play a compassionate role and take in refugees.

Obama responded to the refugee ruckus while speaking in the Philippines. “When candidates say, ‘we won’t admit 3-year-old orphans,’ that’s political posturing.”

NJPR’s Matt Katz and Tom Moran, Editorial Page Editor for The Star-Ledger, join us to talk about the governor’s hardening position and his strategy moving forward.

 

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The Christie Tracker is a production of New Jersey Public Radio and WNYC and featured on NewsWorks every Wednesday.