President Trump is tapping New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to chair a commission devoted to combating opioid abuse, reports NJ.com. The news was first disclosed by the Washington Post. It’s unclear if the chairmanship will be part-time, how often it would pull Christie away from New Jersey, or if it would require him to step down as governor. Fighting opioid abuse is one focus of a a new White House office Trump is expected to unveil today, to be led by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Kushner and Christie, a fellow Livingston, N.J., native, have been working together informally for several weeks about opioid abuse.
Christie has long made battling drug addiction a key portion of his platform in New Jersey. He has vowed to devote much of his last year as governor to the issue. It was reportedly one topic he and Trump discussed when they had a much-publicized meatloaf lunch together at the White House last month. The chairmanship would finally give Christie a position in Trump’s administration –albeit it likely a small one — after months of speculation. Christie has said he turned down other job offers from Trump, saying none of them was worth leaving the governorship to take.