Mark Lagerkvis: Christie reveals travel secrets he convinced a court to keep confidential

December 8, 2015

Chris Christie’s presidential campaign is revealing his travel secrets – the same type of data the New Jersey governor convinced a court to keep confidential because it would supposedly endanger his safety.

The names and locations of 34 hotels and 32 restaurants where the Christie entourage lodged and dined were listed by Chris Christie for President Inc. in its quarterly report to the Federal Election Commission. Required by law, the 1,030-page document details $2.8 million the campaign spent on various expenses from July through September.

Those disclosures are in direct conflict with the argument Christie used to convince a judge not to release state records of travel expenses racked up by the governor’s Executive Protection Unit and paid by New Jersey taxpayers, including $1.3 million in American Express charges.

Four months ago, Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson ruled that past records of the EPU’s meals, lodging and transportation could create a potential security risk for the governor in the future. The troopers assigned to protect Christie often take the same flights and stay at the same hotels as the man they guard.

In court, Jacobson said she based her decision on a confidential sworn statement submitted under court seal by State Police Capt. Kevin Cowan, head of EPU.

“He unequivocally swears in that certification that release of the information would increase the risk of harm to the governor,” said the judge.

Yet those are the same types of details provided in the Christie campaign’s report to the FEC, publicly available online at the commission’s web site. The record includes the name of the business, address, type of expense and amount paid– though it does not identify the individuals who are traveling.

The result is a paradox: The hotels, restaurants and airlines patronized by Christie and his campaign staff using private money are a matter of public record. Yet details of the public cost caused by Christie’s White House run are kept secret by court order.

The complete story by investigative reporter Mark Lagerkvist is online at NJ Spotlight at http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/12/08/christie-reveals-travel-secrets-that-he-convinced-court-to-keep-confidential/.

NJ Watchdog: Court allows Christie to hide $1 million in Amex charges

Based on secret evidence, a New Jersey court is allowing Gov. Chris Christie to hide American Express bills that show how his state police security team charged more than $1 million to pay for out-of-state travel.

Judge Mary C. Jacobson dismissed a public records suit by New Jersey Watchdog on Friday, ruling that details of past expenses for food, lodging and transportation could create a potential security risk for the governor in the future.

“The court finds the general interest of the public to have a breakdown pales in comparison,” said Jacobson during a hearing in Mercer County Superior Court. As a result, state taxpayers may never learn how the money was spent.

The Executive Protection Unit travel expenses increased with the frequency of Christie’s out-of-state trips to pursue his political ambitions, including his run for the White House. Last year, costs totaled $494,420 as the governor traveled outside New Jersey for more than 100 days. That sum is 22 times more than the $21,704 spent in 2009, former Gov. Jon Corzine’s last year in office.

Jacobson based her decision on a confidential sworn statement provided by Capt. Kevin Cowan, head of the EPU. “He unequivocally swears in that certification that release of the information would increase the risk of harm to the governor,” said the judge.

New Jersey Watchdog’s lawyer was not allowed to view or question that evidence, which makes any appeal difficult.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/233162/christie-hide-amex-charges/.

NJ Watchdog sues Christie to disclose $800,000 in credit card records

A New Jersey Watchdog reporter is suing Gov. Chris Christie for records of nearly $800,000 in expenses charged to American Express credit cards for the travel costs of the governor’s state police security detail.

The public records lawsuit was filed Friday in Mercer County Superior Court.

Christie’s staff denied the reporter’s requests for the monthly statements and related documents, arguing that release of details on past charges would jeopardize the governor’s safety in the future.

A New Jersey Watchdog investigation found the travel expenses of the Executive Protection Unit are 18 times higher than when Christie took office. Much of the increase is attributed to Christie’s frequent out-of-state trips as he pursues his political ambitions and a likely run for the White House.

The bills totaled almost $1 million during Christie’s first four years and nine months as governor. More than 80 percent were charged to Amex cards used by the governor’s office, which later sought reimbursement from the state police.

Last year, Christie traveled outside New Jersey on more than 100 days while visiting 36 states, Mexico and Canada. Wherever the governor travels for whatever reason – whether funded by political groups, supporters or others – he is accompanied by an EPU security detail at state expense.

The full report is online at http://watchdog.org/203074/watchdog-sues-christie-records/.

NJ Watchdog: Christie has no records of who pays for travel, staff claims

For immediate release:



While Chris Christie has been vocal during a 19-state campaign trip that ends today, his staff has little to say about who pays for the New Jersey governor’s extensive political travels.

Christie’s office claims it has no records, emails or correspondence concerning the trips – and that it is exempt from the rules that govern other state officials.

“I understand that third parties did pay for some of the governor’s trips…however, our office has not been provided with any such documents,” wrote Christie’s chief ethics officer, Heather Taylor, last month in a response to a request from New Jersey Watchdog.

New Jersey regulations require third-party organizations that fund the travel of state officials must disclose the payment arrangements in writing. The state agency or office is required to retain those records.

“It is my understanding that the Office of Governor is not subject to Treasury Circular 12-14-OMB, so we do not have any records,” stated Taylor. The governor contends he is not bound by state travel rules because of memos state budget officials sent to former governors Brendan Byrne in 1979 and Christine Todd Whitman in 2000.

As chair of the Republican Governors Association, Christie began a six-day road trip Oct. 29 to campaign for GOP gubernatorial candidates running in Tuesday’s election. His itinerary includes stops in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Michigan, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Maine.

The mission also serves as a pre-cursor for Christie’s anticipated run for the White House in 2016. It gives him opportunities to grab the spotlight, gather support and collect political IOUs while burnishing an image as a straight-talking leader.

But back home in New Jersey, Christie is developing a reputation as a master of double-standards. He campaigned for governor as a champion of “open and honest government,” yet often fights to stop the release of public records.

The story is now online at http://watchdog.org/180818/christie-no-travel-records/.

NJ WATCHDOG: Christie staff caught misleading NJ court in travel records dispute

For Immediate Release:

What happens when Gov. Chris Christie’s staff is caught lying to a New Jersey court about the existence of public records?

That legal bombshell may explode in Mercer County Superior Court this week in the governor’s battle with a New Jersey Watchdog reporter over travel expense accounts.

Documents surfaced that directly contradict the claims of Christie’s lawyers that the governor and his staff do not use state credit cards for travel and don’t have any records.

“The governor’s office does not use Travel Cards and thus does not have Travel Card statements,” stated Christie associate counsel Javier Diaz in a certification filed with the court. Similar to an affidavit, a certification carries penalties for willful false statements.

Yet an American Express card issued to the state is how the governor’s office paid for $8,146 worth of airfare for Christie’s entourage in January 2013 to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. The four passengers were Christie, his wife Mary Pat, chief of staff Kevin O’Dowd and planning director Daniel Robles.

The statements for the corporate AMEX card, received from another source, were addressed to the "NJ Governor's Office" at the Statehouse in care of Robles. The card was used again to charge $1,687 of additional expenses in February 2013.

“The state should not be playing semantics with whatever it calls the small piece of plastic that is whipped out to pay for the governor’s $8,000 worth of first-class airfare, among other things,” argued the reporter’s attorney, Donald M. Doherty Jr., in a brief to Judge Mary C. Jacobson.

Other hidden records from the Super Bowl trip include a $7,583 invoice for three hotel rooms in the names of Christie, O’Dowd and Robles. Christie's room and hotel expenses alone cost taxpayers $3,371. The name of the hotel and itemized bills were redacted from the documents.

The full story is now online at http://watchdog.org/177595/christie-travel-lawsuit-3/.

NJ Watchdog appeals denial of Christie travel records

For immediate release:
9/17/14

Gov. Chris Christie’s attempt to flout state travel rules will be contested in New Jersey appeals court.

The case pits the governor’s power versus transparency in government – a cause Christie once championed.

In the Superior Court Appellate Division, a New Jersey Watchdog reporter is challenging a trial judge's rejection of a lawsuit seeking records of who paid for Christie’s unofficial out-of-state trips.

Under Treasury Circular 12-14-OMB, third-party organizations that fund the travel of state officials must disclose the payment arrangements in writing. The state agency or office is required to retain those records.

“Our position is that the regulation does not apply,” argued Assistant Attorney General Lewis Scheindlin on behalf of the governor in Mercer County Superior Court. “If it doesn’t apply, the next question is whether these records exist.”

As evidence, Christie’s lawyers submitted a 35-year-old memo to former Gov. Brendan Byrne. In it, a former budget director decreed: “I hereby rule that the governor and staff of the governor’s office are granted exemptions from these State Travel Regulations.”

Instead of addressing the issue, Judge Mary C. Jacobson dismissed the suit in July. She ruled the reporter’s Open Public Records Act request was “overbroad and lacking in specifics and clarity” even though it sought specific records required by state rules.

Donald M. Doherty Jr., the reporter’s attorney, filed the appeal last week asking the higher court to make a decision Jacobson avoided.

“This case will establish whether or not an executive branch employee can exempt the governor from travel regulations,” stated Doherty. “The court did not decide whether or not the defendants’ position regarding the memo was correct, but instead held the request was unclear.”

The full story is now online at http://watchdog.org/170733/christie-travel-records-appeal/.

NJ WATCHDOG: Concern over Christie's safety takes detour in NJ

For immediate release:


A debate over secrecy and Gov. Chris Christie’s safety took a strange turn in the Labor Day weekend traffic.

Citing security concerns, the New Jersey governor refuses to release records showing which hotels he stayed during official trips. Yet his press office publicly identified which vehicle in the governor’s motorcade usually carries Christie.

Christie typically rides in the lead sports utility vehicle which is closely followed by a second SUV, both driven by New Jersey State Police troopers dressed in plain clothes, spokesman Michael Drewniak told the Star-Ledger.

Drewniak was explaining a traffic incident Monday near Seaside Park in which the second SUV in the governor’s entourage allegedly cut off another motorist. No accident, arrests or citations were reported.

Meanwhile, the governor’s office is trying to block release of records that identify where Christie stayed at taxpayers’ expense in 2012 and 2013. The lodging receipts are among the documents sought by a New Jersey Watchdog reporter in a public records suit against the governor’s office filed in Mercer County Superior Court.

“In the opinion of the State Police, releasing that information could put the governor’s physical safety in danger,” argued Deputy Attorney General Todd Wigder last week in a brief to Judge Mary C. Jacobson.

The state’s reasons why those hotel records should be secret are also secret, detailed in a hush-hush certification by Kevin Cowan, acting State Police captain.

Concealing the records from the public could hide possible abuses by Christie, who has argued that he is exempt from his administration’s travel rules for state officials.

The full story is now online at http://watchdog.org/168335/christie-safety-detour/.

NJ WATCHDOG: Judge gives Christie a pass in travel records lawsuit

For immediate release

Judge gives Christie a pass in travel records lawsuit

The question of whether Gov. Chris Christie must obey New Jersey state travel rules was left unanswered by a decision Tuesday in Mercer County Superior Court.

Judge Mary C. Jacobson dismissed a lawsuit by a New Jersey Watchdog reporter seeking records of who paid for Christie’s unofficial out-of-state trips. She ruled the reporter’s Open Public Records Act request was “overbroad and lacking in specifics and clarity.”

To the contrary, the records request “specifically included documentation of the payment arrangement on the third-party’s letterhead, as required by Treasury Circular 12-14-OMB.” In addition, the reporter also sought various other records on those journeys.

“Our position is that the regulation does not apply,” argued Assistant Attorney General Lewis Scheindlin, representing the governor in court. “If it doesn’t apply, the next question is whether these records exist.”

“Well, what records do they have and how do they keep them?” asked Donald M. Doherty, the reporter’s lawyer.

“We don’t know how the governor’s office keeps the travel records,” said Jacobson. “We don’t know if they keep third-party records separate from the other travel records.”

However, the judge stopped short of requesting any specifics about the disputed documents, and Scheindlin did not offer details about their existence.

The hearing also raised the issue of whether Christie must abide by the code of conduct he set for himself in 2010.

The story is now online at http://watchdog.org/162260/christie-travel-lawsuit-2/.

NJ WATCHDOG: Christie can't escape suit for travel records

For immediate release

Dispute over Christie travel records takes trip to court

Chris Christie’s lawyers won’t be allowed to escape a court date next week in a lawsuit by a New Jersey Watchdog reporter over records of the governor’s travel paid by outside organizations.

Judge Mary C. Jacobson denied the state’s request yesterday to reschedule or consolidate the case with other public records actions against the governor pending in Mercer County Superior Court.

If granted, proceedings in the case could have been indefinitely delayed. Instead, it remains on course for a hearing Tuesday, July 29.

The dispute centers on disclosures by third-party organizations that pay for out-of-state trips by Christie and his senior staff. State agencies are required to collect and keep documentation of who’s paying on the third-party’s letterhead, under rules detailed in Treasury Circular 12-14-OMB.

At first, the governor’s office completely denied the reporter’s request for the files, claiming it was "unclear...and therefore invalid" under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act.

Now, Christie’s lawyers are arguing he is exempt from travel regulations, relying on a 1979 memo to former Gov. Brendan Byrne from a budget director.

Because of that letter, which predates current rules by 35 years, the requirement for disclosure “does not apply to the governor’s office,” argued Deputy Attorney General Todd Wigder in a brief to the court.

The story is now online at http://watchdog.org/161436/christie-travel-lawsuit/.

NJ Watchdog sues Christie for travel expense records

For immediate release:


As Chris Christie eyes a run for the White House in 2016, he’s en route to becoming the most prolific traveler in the history of New Jersey governors.

Yet the self-styled reform advocate is trying to avoid public disclosure on who pays for which trips – and what costs are borne by taxpayers.

A pair of lawsuits by a New Jersey Watchdog reporter against the governor’s office may shed new light on information those state secrets.

The latest legal action, filed last week in Mercer County Superior Court, seeks records of Christie’s travel expenses paid by state government. In a parallel suit, the reporter is asking for release of state records that show who else funds the governor’s sojourns.

Since January, Christie has refused to release records of his excursions paid by third parties – including political groups and others – disclosures required under state travel regulations.

The governor also denied access to state Travel Card statements for his trips on New Jersey’s tab. Once again, his staff rejected the request as being “unclear” – even though the rules clearly state “charges made to the Travel Card may be subject to review under the Open Public Records Act.”

In response to New Jersey Watchdog’s requests for records of all travels from 2012 to present, Christie released partial expense reports for only 13 trips – an average of one trip every two months. The names of all hotels were crossed out, and the lodging receipts were withheld. In several instances, the purpose of trips or means of transportation were not disclosed.

The documents indicate Christie plays fast and loose with guidelines that govern New Jersey officials.

The complete story is now online at http://watchdog.org/159280/christie-travel-expenses.