Chris Christie Also Disagrees With Romney’s ‘Gifts’ Excuse [Video]

Earlier this week rising GOP star Bobby Jindal took issue with Mitt Romney’s election loss excuse that he couldn’t compete with President Obama’s “gifts” to minorities. Joining the debate is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a GOP star in his own right, who also disagrees with the “gifts” comment.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Friday, Christie agreed that former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s assessment of his election loss was off the mark. In a conference call with donors, Romney suggested that President Obama only won re-election because of the “gifts” he promised to minorities and young voters throughout his campaign.

Asked if he agreed with Louisiana Governor Jindal’s criticism of Romney’s “gifts” comment, Christie responded “Yeah, sure,” then attempting to move on to a discussion about his fellow Republican governors.

Still, he was pressed for deeper comment:

“You can’t expect to be a leader of all the people and be divisive. You have to talk about themes, policies that unite people, and play to their aspirations and their goals and their hopes for their family and their neighbors.”

Should Romney move on? “That’s up to him. Listen, Mitt Romney is a friend of mine. I understand he is very upset about having lost the election and very disappointed. Christie added that Romney is a “good man.”

“Do I wish he hadn’t said those things? Of course. But on the other hand, I’m not going to bury the guy for it,” said Christie.

Whether justified or not, Mitt Romney is quickly becoming the rhetorical punching bag for the “old” GOP, and many party members are distancing themselves from their one-time candidate in an effort to rebuild their clout.

Here’s the video of Chris Christie on Morning Joe, disagreeing with Romney’s “gifts” comment: