New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spent all but $2,716 of his state expense allowance during his first year in office (2010). According to New Jersey Watchdog, “the annual surpluses grew to $9,882 in 2011, $21,225 in 2012, $47,472 in 2013 and $30,377 last year. Christie returned those monies to the Treasury, according to records he provided.”
And then there’s the travel costs for the state police’s Executive Protection Unit which reached nearly $1.2 million since he’s taken office. According to New Jersey Watchdog, “$975,000 of those security costs were charged to American Express credit cards issued to the governor’s office. Christie has flatly refused to release the monthly statements, claiming details of past expenditures could jeopardize his safety in the future.” New Jersey Watchdog is suing Christie to force the governor to release the Amex records of EPU charges.
