FOX "Hannity"- Transcript: Debate Recap

Interview

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Governor, how are you? Good to see you.

CHRISTIE: Doing great, Sean. Thank you.

HANNITY: Feel good about the debate?

CHRISTIE: I do, feel really good about it. It is great to get out there and talk about the issues, and be able to have some good interchanges. And I think it is really instructive for the public. So, I was really happy to be here.

HANNITY: You had two present fiery exchanges with Rand Paul. Let's talk about the one about the NSA. Let's talk about that one first.

I almost felt like maybe you guys were coming from the same place, but had different perspectives. I talked to Jim Sensenbrenner, author of the Patriot Act. The original Patriot Act was never supposed to data mine American citizens. Only if they were connected to outside countries, people, and it went through the warrants. And I think he was talking about that, and you were saying that if we have reason, a cause, we ought to be monitoring people. Do you support full date mining?

CHRISTIE: Listen, what I support, Sean, is to allow to us collect that data and then max it up against whether or not folks who are receiving calls from known terrorists. Right now, the law Senator Paul put into effect, now the phone companies maintain that data. Well, if they don't maintain it, we can't get it. If they maintain it, we may say we need it now because we're looking to do something, and they say we'll get back to you in 15 days. It makes America less safe.

HANNITY: Maybe you would be good with that data. Why would I not trust Barack Obama to have data on every American?

CHRISTIE: I don't trust Barack Obama, either, but he is not the only person making the decisions, right? I trust the director of the FBI, I know him. I worked with him; he used to be my boss since the Justice Department in the Bush administration. I know Jim Comey, I trust him.

I trust the people in intelligence...

HANNITY: So, how should it be used, though? How should it be used?

CHRISTIE: It should only be used to match-up against the phone records of known terrorists. If there's a match between someone inside the United States and a known terrorist, then what Senator Paul said is absolutely right. Then you go get a search warrant. The idea, he says I want more records from terrorists and less from regular people. How do you who the terrorists are, Sean? There are people in the United States who are right now preparing to attack us. We don't know that. But if they're contacting someone outside the country who is a known terrorist, then we will know it.

HANNITY: Let me go to the other issue that you guys were battling on. And you're right. 70 plus percent of our budget -- you know what, we don't have influence over. We talk about discretionary spending, but we never talk about mandatory spending, promises that we've made. Would you say we have to means test Social Security? Raise the retirement age, what are you talking about?

CHRISTIE: I'd say both, but let's be really specific. I put out a specific plan. No one else on stage tonight put on ought specific plan. Two year increase in the retirement age, phased in over 25 years. That means one month a year for 25 years. Secondly, means test but only for those making over $200,000 a year in retirement income, and have four to five million dollars in liquid assets. They don't need a Social Security check. If we do those two things we can save Social Security and not raise taxes.

HANNITY: Let me ask you a question, and I don't want to sound like I'm two defending the quote, "rich" here. Were not they promised when they paid that money in, that they'd get it back?

CHRISTIE: They were.

HANNITY: Won't we just basically, over, licensing the government to steal and break a promise, though? I mean...

CHRISTIE: As I said tonight, Sean, the lying and the stealing has already occurred.

(CROSSTALK)

That's a really good point. The lock box Al Gore talked about, right? Fifteen years ago. There's nothing but IOUs in the lock box. Listen, this is what my campaign is about. I want to tell the truth to the American people, and I have confidence in the American people that they're strong enough to hear the truth; I trust them to hear the truth.

What Governor Huckabee, with all due respect, tonight is fantasy, it's fantasy. And the American people have heard enough about that. That's how the lying and stealing happens in the first place.

HANNITY: So you had a good time?

CHRISTIE: I had a great time.

HANNITY: Governor, good to see you.

CHRISTIE: See you in California.

HANNITY: Thank you. See you in California. We'll be there. Thanks.

CHRISTIE: Thanks, Sean.

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