Chris Christie To Doctor Who Said He Could Die In Office: ‘Shut Up’

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s weight is perhaps the single most non-political aspect of his personality discussed by supporters, detractors and late-night chat show hosts, and the plainspoken Jersey boy has some words of wisdom for a doctor that speculated his girth could be a risk factor should he ever ascend to the Presidency: shut it, please.

Chris Christie appeared on David Letterman‘s show last night and was pleasant to the Late Night host despite the fact Christie is often the punchline to after news jokesters. But he’s not always in a good mood on the subject of Chris Christie fat jokes, and he let another public weight critic have it with both barrels today.

It’s been speculated on and off that America wouldn’t elect an overweight president, and one physician has cast doubt on Christie’s fitness to serve given his pleasantly plump physique. Connie Mariano, a doctor that has treated President Bill Clinton in the past, reportedly said that Chris Christie’s weight is a serious impediment to his chances at the White House.

And what did the outspoken governor have to say about that? The 50-year-old lawmaker, visiting damaged areas of the Jersey Shore, opined that Mariano is “just another hack looking for her five minutes,” and that “she should shut up,” at least until she examines him in person and looks at his family history and in-person health.

Which, we should note, is entirely fair — excepting the fact that fat people are often treated poorly by medical professionals, if the former Clinton doc hasn’t taken a look at Christie as a patient, it’s not really cool to be speculating on his health even if he could stand to lose a few.

Chris Christie said that the uncalled for speculation terrified his tween son, and the kid asked Christie if he was going to die. The governor fumed:

“I find it fascinating that a doctor in Arizona — who’s never met me, never examined me, never reviewed my medical history or records and knows nothing about my family history — could make a diagnosis from 2,400 miles away … She must be a genius. She should probably be the surgeon general of the United States, I suspect.”

Mariano objected, responding to Christie’s understandably annoyed criticism. She said:

“You don’t have to be a doctor to see that he is obese … I’m not a hack. If you look up my resume, I’ve been in the White House for nine years. I’m a retired Navy rear admiral. I’m board-certified in internal medicine.”

Do you think it was unfair of the former Clinton doc to take a crack at Chris Christie if she hasn’t even asked him to turn his head and cough yet?