The turmoil burst to the surface Tuesday with the abrupt departure of former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who had been tapped by Christie to lead national security planning for the transition. Two people close to the transition, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, described Rogers’ departure as a firing, a move that came about because of friction between Christie and Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump and one of the most influential voices in the campaign.
As U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Christie in 2004 prosecuted Kushner’s father, Charles, for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions. A plea agreement led to a two-year prison sentence. Kushner is believed to have been one of the leading voices who kept Christie off Trump’s presidential ticket.
Kushner didn’t respond to requests for comment. Some transition aides said that a Kushner grudge wasn’t to blame for the purge of Christie allies. Instead, they said, the transition hadn’t progressed as much as Trump wanted, and the president-elect wanted to see more results.