A Marco Rubio supporter mocked Chris Christie's waistline on Monday
NASHUA, N.H. -- A congressman and Marco Rubio backer mocked Gov. Chris Christie on Monday over his waistline.
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Ca.) took the New Jersey governor to task for attacking Rubio at the last Republican presidential debate on Saturday. Christie slammed Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, for giving a "memorized 25-second speech" several times during the debate.
But Issa wasn't having any of it.
"He was told in a domineering fashion by a slightly older, slightly overweight governor -- okay he wasn't slightly, he's a lot overweight, I'm in a position to understand that," the congressman told Boston Herald Radio on Monday.
Issa defended the line Rubio repeated several times during the debate, where he assailed President Obama and said the president "knows what he's doing."
"If he'd been asked a question he'd answer it, he choose not to take the bait of an attack and, you know what, I respect that," Issa continued. "I respect his being Reaganesque and instead of attacking back his opponent and berating him he started talking about what he thought mattered."
Christie's weight has come up in previous campaigns.
In 2009, Christie assailed former Gov. Jon Corzine for taking a swipe at Christie's weight in a campaign attack ad. The ad accused Christie of "throwing his weight around."
Christie's response to the ad then was swift: "Man up and say I'm fat," he said in response.
In 2013, Christie accused Democratic challenger Barbara Buono of taking a similar swipe when she responded to a question about an online video that showed Buono at a campaign stop joking that images of the governor "frolicking on the beach" in his "Stronger than the Storm" television commercials did not inspire her to return to the Shore.
"I am very disappointed that she has decided to go down that road," Christie said at the time. "For me and for other folks across New Jersey -- many folks -- who are challenged by their weight, the fact that someone running for governor would make derisive comments about someone's physical appearance is really beneath the office that she's seeking. I'm disappointed that she's done it."
A Rubio spokesman didn't immediately respond to request seeking comment on Issa's jab at Christie's weight.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.