According to the the New York Times, Christie’s got a thing for posh trips on private planes that are financed by others. The Times commented these flights “put him in ethically questionable situations” that often made his staffers feel rather uncomfortable.
The paper cited the Christie family’s 2012 “trade mission” to Israel. They were flown there on a private plane paid for by Las Vegas casino owner and business magnate Sheldon Adelson, who was lobbying the state on gambling legislation at the time.
Christie reportedly had his own bedroom on board.
After Israel, the family spent a weekend in Jordan hosted by King Abdullah. This included parties (at one of which Bono made an appearance), a “champagne reception” and rooms at the Kempinski hotels totaling around $30,000.
Spokeswoman Maria Comella explained that King Abdullah was a close personal friend of the governor, and that these gifts were signs of that friendship.
Nonetheless, some of Christie’s aides were aware of how it would look if the public caught wind of his celebrity lifestyle ways.
According to the Times, while on the campaign trail in 2012 for Mitt Romney Christie refused to do out of state events unless he was provided a private plane. This was while multi-millionaire Ann Romney, Mitt’s wife, was flying on commercial airlines.
In London this week, Christie and his team are staying at the Corinthia hotel, currently costing $600 dollars per night. The trip, paid for by his state’s taxpayers, is estimated to cost about $40,000 dollars, Business Insider UK reports.
"I relish these experiences and exposures, especially for my kids," Christie said of his travel to the Times last year. "I try to squeeze all the juice out of the orange that I can."
New Jersey Democrats considered launching an ethics investigation into the governor’s activity, after the Wall Street Journal noted that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was doing business with the state. He was a partial investor in a group that won a contract to operate the observatory at the new One World Trade Center building in New York City. The contract was given out by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a bi-state organization run by the governors of the two states.
Christie’s office claimed trips on Jones’ plane, and season passes (which include box seats), were not in violation of any state law. Spokesman for the governor Kevin Roberts, also a close friend, explained Christie "may accept gifts, favors, services, gratuities, meals, lodging or travel expenses from relatives or personal friends that are paid for with personal funds."
The Times noted that even when serving as the US attorney for New Jersey, Christie would often overextend his travel budget by riding in expensive private cars instead of taxis.
