On yesterday’s Your World, Neil Cavuto opened a discussion about Chris Christie by “asking” if he’s “getting cocky” for having “brazenly violated Presidential Prep 101" and having done "something beyond risky.” Charles Gasparino explained that Christie had invited Steve Cohen of SAC Capital to both his public and private election parties. Gasparino described why “It looks really bad.”
Gasparino said:
Monday, SAC Capital, the giant hedge fund, cuts a deal with the government, pleads guilty to securities fraud. SAC’s run by Steve Cohen …who’s still under criminal investigation. That’s Monday of last week. Tuesday, Christie’s re-election party. Guess who’s one of the people he calls to attend not just the big event, the 2,500 people event, but a private event? It’s Steve Cohen. It looks really bad.
...A handful of people …five people, might have been 6, (attended Christie's private dinner). ...(Christie) personally pushed (Cohen) to come. Essentially, he called up Steve Cohen, heard he was depressed after the indictment and the plea deal with the firm and said, …according to one person who knows directly about this, "Get off your rear end," - quote, unquote - "and come down here. I want you here." Cohen was reluctant to go for the obvious optics of it, but Christie said, "Come anyway."
Cavuto took a brief stab at balance. “Well, they could say that he stays loyal to his friends,” he said. However, Cavuto also wondered if Christie had really used the term, "rear end." (Gasparino said that was the phrase quoted to him.)
Cavuto and Gasparino noted that Cohen has not been convicted of any crime. But, Gasparino said, “I spoke to a few campaign consultants (and asked), ‘What do you think about this?’ and they’ll tell you point blank, this could be a negative ad. If you want to run for President, you probably shouldn’t be hanging out with …a guy whose firm has been deemed by the Justice Dept., just hours earlier, a magnet for insider trading.”
Cavuto agreed the picture “doesn’t look good.”
“It just gives you an insight into the man. I’m not going to draw conclusions,” Gasparino said.
However, these kinds of “insights” into a Republican, especially a Republican presidential candidate are almost unheard of on Fox.
I wonder what Gov. Christie’s relationship with Fox will be now. Will he be interviewed on Your World if Cavuto asks?