I’m going to have a bit more to say about the latest developments in the Chris Christie saga, but for now I wanted to point to the “shirt tail” of that NYT article, because I expect it, too, is going to blow up on Christie.
Mr. Christie’s in-state travel has also been questioned. He put in for more than $20,000 in mileage reimbursements during his seven-year tenure, including many trips that his public schedules indicate were made for personal or political reasons.
A die-hard Mets fan, Mr. Christie put in for $73 in mileage costs for a drive to Philadelphia on a night his schedule noted an away game against the Phillies.
Now $73 is small potatoes compared to the $700 limousine Christie took to an event at the County Prosecutors Association in Atlantic City. But Christie was–at least ostensibly–on business in Atlantic City. I very much look forward to his explanation of what kind of business he was conducting at that Mets game in Philadelphia.
Then there are the events that appear to be political. Christie narrowly avoided an investigation into whether he was laying the groundwork for his gubernatorial campaign while still US Attorney. On top of that, there were a few meetings with Karl Rove that showed up in the US Attorney document dump.
But if Christie–whose buddy Michele Brown was trying to time indictments for political reasons–was also charging taxpayers for his in-state political travel, it adds another piece of evidence that he was using the US Attorney’s office as a political playground.
Finally, here’s the bit that really fries my ass. New Jersey is not a big state. What kind of cheapskate do you have to be to charge taxpayers for your personal jaunt to a baseball game?