Christie signs on as ABC News contributor

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has signed on to be an occasional contributor to ABC News, according to NJ.com.

His hiring was announced Jan. 30 on “Good Morning America,” reported NJ.com, which cited sources familiar with the plan but who wish to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak publicly. The network’s decision comes two weeks after the Republican governor left office, on Jan. 16.

Christie was reportedly chosen because of his friendly relationship with President Donald Trump and members of his administration. Christie’s ties to Trump could prove useful to the network as it prepares to cover midterm elections, beginning March 6 in Texas and ending Sept. 18 in Massachusetts. With thousands of Republican and Democratic candidates facing off in several levels of government across the country for spots on the November ballot, Christie could provide a glimpse into what Trump voters are thinking.

Christie was once considered a potential for president, but his career has floundered since 2012. First came “Bridgegate,” in which Christie’s former allies shut down lanes of the George Washington Bridge for five days in 2013, apparently as an act of retaliation against a local mayor who did not support Christie’s reelection bid. Christie has denied his role in the scandal.

Then came his support for his former Republican presidential primary opponent, now-President Trump, despite Trump’s attempts to embarrass Christie.

By June 2017, nearing the end of his second term as governor, he appeared to be most unpopular in his home state, The Washington Post reported. His approval rating at the time was a bleak 15 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

And that was before a July 2017 dust-up, in which Christie’s family stayed in a state-owned beach house over the July 4 weekend — even though the park in which it resides was closed to the public during a New Jersey government shutdown.