Christie Takes Himself Out Of Running For Chief Of Staff

MENDHAM, NJ — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has taken himself out of the running for President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff.

"It's an honor to have the President consider me as he looks to choose a new White House chief-of-staff," Christie said in a statement sent to the New York Times. "However, I've told the President that now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment. As a result, I have asked him to no longer keep me in any of his considerations for this post."

Christie was Trump's top pick to replace current Chief of Staff John Kelly when he leaves at the end of the year, and the two met Thursday afternoon to discuss the role, Bloomberg reported.

This isn't the first time Trump has considered Christie for a position. He was considered for Attorney General earlier this year, and was offered three positions in the administration in January 2017. He turned all three of those down.

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: Chris Christie attends Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon)