NBC's Guthrie to Mitt Romney: Have You Ever Been Bullied by Chris Christie?

In a live interview with former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Friday's NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie grilled him on his interactions with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie: "...you see the bridge scandal and other allegations have come forward. And they all seem to have a theme, which is that he uses, allegedly, hardball, sometimes bullying tactics against people who cross him. Have you never experienced that side of him?" [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Romney dismissed the notion: "No, Chris and I get along very well. We're close friends."

Guthrie noted that Christie was someone who Romney had "considered as a vice presidential candidate" and wondered: "Have you called him and offered support or encouragement?" Romney replied: "Yeah, I've been in touch with Chris. And frankly, I think what you've seen is a guy who is a strong leader, he took responsibility, he fired people that were responsible for the scandal, and he has moved on as a leader."

After asking Romney if he would consider another presidential run – to which he said no – Guthrie asked: "You think Hillary Clinton is beatable if she's their [the Democrats'] nominee?" Romney predicted: "I'm sure she is. Because I think people recognize the country's just not doing what it needs to do."