Priests prayed over Christie when he was hospitalized for COVID, ex-gov. writes

Former Gov. Chris Christie writes in a new book that he and others were extremely worried when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 after he contracted the illness while at the Trump White House.

Christie says his priest arrived in the hospital and rubbed oils on his forehead in the sign of the cross and prayed over him, according to a report in The New York Times.

The Times on Saturday reviewed an advance copy of Christie’s book, “Republican Rescue: Saving the Party From Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden.” The book, which is published by Simon and Schuster, will be on sale Tuesday.

Trump, who was hospitalized with the virus himself, apparently had only one concern, according to Christie. “Are you gonna say you got it from me?” Trumped asked him in phone call to the hospital.

Christie has said he recovered from the coronavirus but only after he spent seven days in the intensive care unit of Morristown Medical Center.

The ex-governor characterizes Trump throughout the book as someone caught up in a political strain that is centuries old in America, according to the report.

He writes the QAnon conspirators are reminiscent of the John Birch Society members and he contrasts how Ronald Regan handled extremists with how Trump has, the Times states.

But Christie says he doesn’t blame Trump for the Jan. 6 rioting, instead saying that some of his words instilled anger in supporters.

The former governor also asserts in the book that the 2020 election was not stolen and that he doesn’t think Trump can be a positive force in the future unless he lets go of his grudges.

Christie served as New Jersey’s 55th governor from 2010 to 2018. A former presidential candidate himself, he supported Trump in 2016 and led Trump’s transition effort until he was fired.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.