How the Governor Stole 4th of July

h/t Robin Stella

Christie went to the beach while the other Who's in Whoville had to stay home...

Letter: Why Renovate The Statehouse Now

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:


Dear Editor,

Governor Christie's bizarre out-of-the blue plan to gut the historic New Jersey Statehouse with a massive $300 million dollar renovation, draws numerous questions.

The first thing to come to mind is that many people lose things when moving. Could the Governor have some interest in Bridgegate related evidence getting misplaced, with a relocated Executive Office?

The state debt is already unmanageable, and the last thing we need is an expensive fancy remodel of the statehouse.

Christie has already said that the portion used by the legislature will remain untouched so here's a better idea: Leave any construction to the next governor, or let the legislature create a project.



Rev. Dr. Eric Hafner
Former Congressional Candidate
Toms River, New Jersey

I'm Voting Against Christie's Gas Tax Increase Here's Why

New Jersey needs to increase the gas tax to fund road and bridge repairs and infrastructure improvements, but the 23 cent a gallon increase coupled with a $600 mil. tax cut for our wealthiest residents is not the way to do it.

Also, the cost of transportation work in New Jersey is many time more costly than all other states.

Here's what must be done:

1. No tax cut for the wealthiest NJ residents.

2. Reforms to cut costs of construction and to include citizen oversight of spending of government agencies like the Port Authority and NJTransit.

3. Phase in gas tax increases over three years so motorists aren't hit with sticker shock and reforms to cut costs and include citizen oversight are enacted.

We need to fund road and bridge repairs and improvements but their's a wrong way and a right way. The current proposal is the wrong way.

Click Here To Read More

Lesniak: Minimum Wage Facts & Fiction

For Immediate Release
September 1, 2016

Governor Christie vetoed our legislation increasing New Jersey's $8.38 minimum wage to $10.10 next year and to $15 by 2020 - saying it would hurt small businesses and our economy. That's the fiction.

In the mid-sixties in a booming economy, the equivalent minimum wage today would be $12.00. That's the fact.

Indeed, in Australia, where the minimum wage is more than $15, a Big Mac is less expensive than in the United States. In New York, its minimum wage is higher than the legislation Governor Christie vetoed.

No one working in New Jersey should have to live below the poverty line. No one.

Christie veto of minimum wage bill sets up push for constitutional amendmentBy Linh Tat

PENNINGTON - In the latest round of what promises to be a "loud" fight, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have raised New Jersey's minimum wage to $15 by 2021, and set the stage for Democrats to push for a constitutional amendment next year.

Christie's veto comes as no surprise. Even before this week, Democrats in the state Legislature were looking ahead and discussing plans to place the measure before voters in 2017.

In announcing his vet, the Republican governor called on invited guests assembled at a news conference to “fight publicly, loudly, aggressively” and to educate the public that the proposed wage increase would force businesses to raise prices, cut hours or reduce staff, or possibly shutter their doors.

Under the proposal, New Jersey’s $8.38 minimum wage would rise to $10.10 in 2017. It would continue to increase in phases, hitting $15 by 2021 or earlier....

Click Here To Read More

Man With A Klan: NY Daily News targets Christie over Trump support with KKK

From the Hill

NY Daily News targets Christie over Trump support with KKK cover: http://hill.cm/5PXcgTo

With Christie out of race, will his NJ expenses go up?

From Mark Lagerkvist

As a presidential candidate, Gov. Chris Christie could bank on campaign funds to pay for his meals, travel and entertainment on his many travels.

Out of the race, he is likely to spend more of the $95,000 a year state expense account he receives in addition to his $175,000 annual salary. In the state budget, it is listed as “an allowance of funds not otherwise appropriated and used for official receptions on behalf of the state, the operation of an official residence, for other expenses.”

Last year, the governor used just $13,191 of that allowance and returned $81,809 to the state, according to Treasury records. The big reason: Christie was traveling outside the state on all or part of 261 days in 2015 – and when he was gone, it was usually funded by his campaign committee or other political entities.

In contrast, he spent $92,284 from the allowance during 2010. And during his first five-plus years as governor, Christie charged nearly $300,000 to the state for food and alcohol purchases.

It’s the same expense account Christie tapped to pay for food and drink concessions at MetLife Stadium.

On 82 occasions, Christie used a debit card in 2010 and 2011 to pay a total of $82,594 to Delaware North Sportservice, which operates the concessions at the home field for Giants and Jets. The governor’s office did not provide any receipts, business reasons or names of individuals entertained, but defended the expense.

On another front, taxpayers may find good news in that former candidate Christie is less likely to take out-of-state trips that require State Police protection details to travel with him.

Since Christie took office in 2010, travel expenses for the Executive Protection Unit have totaled $1.57 million. Of that amount, $1.33 million was charged to American Express cards for unspecified expenses.

The story by investigative reporter Mark Lagerkvist is now online at NJ Spotlight – http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/02/10/will-governor-s-expenses-go-up-now-that-christie-s-out-of-presidential-race/#

# # #

Mark Lagerkvist is a veteran investigative reporter who previously worked for CNBC, News 12, Asbury Park Press, New Jersey Watchdog, and other news outlets. His work has won more than 60 journalism awards, including honors from National Press Club, Scripps Howard Foundation, and Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE). He can be reached at Mark@Lagerkvist.net

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATS TO CHRISTIE: WELCOME BACK TO THE MESSES YOU LEFT

(Trenton) -- Today, New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John Currie complimented Republican primary voters for rejecting Governor Chris Christie’s candidacy, and for sending him back to the state he has neglected for 261 partial or full days last year and most of this year -- roughly 300 days in total.

“New Jersey appreciates Iowa and New Hampshire primary voters rejecting Chris Christie’s policy failures, scandals, and misleading rhetoric. He has no business being promoted to the presidency after what he’s done to New Jersey,” said Chairman Currie. “It’s time for him to grab a mop and attend to the countless messes he created and then avoided for so long. Better yet, he should do what a majority of New Jersey wants him to do: resign.”

Despite media efforts to prop him up and his penchant for misleading others about both his prospects and his record, Christie’s presidential campaign finally appears to be over. However, Christie’s legacy of scandal and mismanagement remain, along with countless lingering policy failures.

New Jersey’s credit rating has been downgraded a record nine times, property taxes have risen, job growth is among the weakest in the nation, survivors of Superstorm Sandy are still reeling from the Christie administration’s botched recovery effort, the governor’s promise to fund public employee pensions remains unfulfilled, the state's transportation trust fund is empty, and our infrastructure is dangerously dilapidated.

“So, welcome home, Governor Christie,” added Currie, sarcastically.

GOVERNOR CHRISTIE'S COMMENTS REFLECT TENDENCY FOR VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY

February 3, 2016

On the Ropes, He Says He’d "Beat [Secretary Clinton’s] Rear End"

(Trenton) — Leading New Jersey Democrats are expressing disgust at the sexist remarks of New Jersey’s absentee Governor, Chris Christie, who said of Secretary Clinton "I'll beat her rear end.” The remark was captured on video by ABC News.

“This is childish and inappropriate, even for Governor Christie. His poor performance in Iowa and the chaos of the Republican field, do not give him license to ignore basic rules of decorum or to throw all civility out the window,” said John Currie, the Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.

Christie’s latest remarks echo a comment he made about another strong, progressive female official, who would not let him have his way. Speaking of Loretta Weinberg, the Majority Leader of the New Jersey State Senate, the Governor encouraged the media to " take a bat to her.”

“I am sure Chris Christie will argue that this is just who he is, but I hardly think that his violent tendencies are a selling point. This kind of demeaning language is unacceptable, and it begs the question: Would he speak of Senator Sanders or Martin O’Malley in these immature, and sexist terms?” asked Vice Chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee Lizette Delgado-Polanco.

Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle also responded, saying, “This is typical. When times get tough, Gov. Christie resorts to name calling, bullying, and one of his all time favorites behaviors -- misogyny. After finishing next to last in Iowa, the only rear end he should worry about is his own!”

Governor Christie’s remarks also lack foundation. While his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is on the ropes after his pathetic, 10th place finish in Iowa’s Republican caucus, Secretary Clinton finished in first place, after energizing and mobilizing tens of thousands of the state's Democrats in support of her candidacy.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, roughly two-thirds of the people who know him best believe he would make a bad president. A solid majority want him to resign from office, and save our state any more embarrassment.

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: Corruption case undermines Christe claims as prosecutor

On the presidential campaign trail, Chris Christie boasts that he was a no-nonsense prosecutor above politics.

“The fact is that this Justice Department under this president has been a political Justice Department,” said Christie during last month’s debate on CNBC. If elected, he promised to nominate “an attorney general who will enforce the law and make justice more than just a word.”

But back in New Jersey, the Christie administration appears to be burying a corruption case involving Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, his second-in-command. An alleged $245,000 pension fraud occurred when Guadagno was Monmouth County sheriff in 2008, the year before she first ran for lieutenant governor as Christie’s running mate.

On Thursday, a New Jersey appeals court ruled the state attorney general’s Division of Criminal Justice must release two confidential documents to New Jersey Watchdog. Justices George S. Leone and Carol E. Higbee rejected a lower court’s decision to block release of the records as an “abuse of discretion.”

“We cannot agree that the fact the investigation concerned possible sensitive issues of public corruption weighs against disclosure,” the ruling stated. “In cases involving allegations of public corruption, transparency and the public’s right to know are particularly important.”

Guadagno made false and conflicting statements that enabled her sheriff’s chief officer, Michael Donovan, to improperly collect an $85,000 a year pension in addition to his $87,500 salary, as first reported by New Jersey Watchdog in 2010.

In 2011, DCJ began an investigation at the request of the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System board of trustees. From the start, the probe was riddled with conflicts of interest.

Guadagno is a former deputy director of DCJ who had supervised or worked with many of its investigators. Yet Christie did not use his authority to appoint a special prosecutor or independent investigator under the State Constitution.

What happened to that investigation is a mystery slowly being revealed through years of public records battles between New Jersey Watchdog and the Christie administration.

The complete story is online at http://watchdog.org/246981/nj-corruption-undermines-christie/.

NJ Watchdog: GOP loses four Assembly seats as Christie watches

Four GOP incumbents lose NJ Assembly seats as Christie watches

Four incumbent Republicans lost their seats Tuesday as the Democrats gained their biggest majority in the New Jersey Assembly since 1979.

With almost all ballots counted, unofficial election results give Democrats a commanding 52 to 28 advantage in the Assembly – but still two short of the supermajority needed to override Gov. Chris Christie’s vetoes.

Christie's political coattails were virtually non-existent. The governor, busy running for president, did not make any public campaign appearances on behalf of GOP Assembly candidates.

Republicans lost both of their seats in the 11th District that covers northern Monmouth County. In a tight race, incumbents Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande were edged out by Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey. Angelini lost by 165 votes, less than one-third of one percent of the votes cast.

The margin of victory was even narrower in Central Jersey’s 16th District, where Democratic challenger Andrew Zwicker squeaked by Assemb. Donna Simon with only 29 votes to spare. The result could be altered by uncounted absentee votes or a recount.

In South Jersey’s 1st District, Assemb. Sam Fiocchi lost to challenger Bruce Land by three percentage points.

All of the incumbent Democrats running for re-election won their contests.

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/245625/gop-incumbents-lose-christie/.

NJ Watchdog: Tuesday's election won't solve state's fiscal woes

New Jersey’s statewide election on Tuesday is unlikely to break the governmental gridlock that threatens the state’s fiscal future.

On ballots, voters won’t find contests for any of the 40 seats in the Senate, where Democrats enjoy a 24 to 16 majority. Also not up for grabs is the governorship as Chris Christie hangs onto that office while pursuing the Republican presidential nomination.

Instead this odd-year election features races for the 80 spots in the Assembly, where there is a 47 to 31 Democratic advantage with two seats vacant.

In each chamber, the Democrats have enough of an edge to control all legislation, but they lack the two-thirds supermajority needed to override Christie’s vetoes without Republican help.

“I’ve vetoed 400 bills from a crazy liberal Democratic legislature,” boasted Christie during the September GOP debate on CNN.

As the two sides feud, the clock continues to tick toward an alarming catastrophe.

The debt for public employee pension and health benefits has reached a whopping $194.5 billion, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis of State Treasury records.

Meanwhile, the results of Tuesday’s election may be akin to rearranging deck furniture on the Titanic. A few seats may switch in the Assembly, but voters won’t get a chance for a full change – Senate, Assembly and Office of the Governor – until November 2017.

By then, it may be too late. At its current rate of growth, the debt for benefits would exceed $225 billion.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/245101/nj-election-fiscal-woes/.

NJ Watchdog: Christie seeks comeback

It’s time for a reality check as Chris Christie prepares for the third GOP presidential debate on Wednesday.

The New Jersey governor’s dream of winning the White House looks more like a delusion. He is low on campaign cash, far behind in the polls and struggling for a way to flip his fortunes.

Once upon a time – two years ago next month, to be precise – Christie was riding on top of the Republican world. He was re-elected governor with 60 percent of the vote in a heavily Democratic state. In a CNN poll, he was the leading choice for president with 24 percent of GOP voters, nine points ahead of his nearest rival.

Now, Christie is scraping the bottom. He has dropped to 9th place in the polls with an average of 2.4 percent – one-tenth of the support he once enjoyed.

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/243998/christie-seeks-comeback/

Pallone Urges Christie to Veto Proposed LNG Project Off of the New Jersey Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2015



WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Governor Christie urging him to veto the ill-advised proposal to build an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) port 24 miles off the coast of Long Branch, New Jersey.

In his letter, Pallone wrote, “I ask that you use the authority vested to you under the Deepwater Port Act to veto this ill-advised project… The State of New Jersey should be promoting an energy policy that moves towards increased use of renewable energy sources that create jobs in America, and away from importing polluting fossil fuels from other countries.”

Governor Christie vetoed a similar proposed project in 2011, and in the letter Congressman Pallone asked the Governor to remain consistent in his opposition.

Congressman Pallone, who has fought against offshore oil and gas drilling throughout his career and worked successfully to end ocean dumping, submitted a statement at a public hearing in January expressing his opposition to the plan. In his statement, he highlighted the potential dangers that the proposed LNG terminal poses to New Jersey's ocean and coastline, which are crucial economic engines for the state.

The full text of the letter follows.

October 19, 2015
Governor Chris Christie

P.O. Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625


Dear Governor Christie,

I write today regarding the proposed Liberty Natural Gas offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) project planned for 24 miles off the coast of Long Branch, New Jersey. I ask that you use the authority vested to you under the Deepwater Port Act to veto this ill-advised project.

A project strikingly similar to this one was proposed by Liberty Natural Gas in 2010. The project was unnecessary then and it is unnecessary now. In your letter to the Maritime Administration disapproving of the project you stated that “the environmental impacts could threaten the recent ocean water quality improvements the State has worked hard to achieve.” I urge you remain consistent with your previous opposition to this project.

The State of New Jersey should be promoting an energy policy that moves towards increased use of renewable energy sources that create jobs in America, and away from importing polluting fossil fuels from other countries. The Department of Interior recently finalized a plan to lease 343,833 acres off of the New Jersey coast for commercial wind energy development. Energy development in the Atlantic Ocean should be focused on renewable resources, such as wind, and not polluting fossil fuels.

Further, domestic natural gas production has been steadily increasing and is projected to continue to increase in the coming years. It simply does not make sense to build a terminal to import natural gas into the United States, increasing our reliance on foreign fossil fuels and increasing carbon emissions stemming from transporting and re-gasifying the LNG. Construction of this terminal will also be extremely damaging to our coastal environment, disturbing fish habitats and damaging marine life.

The law provides you the authority to put a stop to this project and I implore you to act upon that authority by formally disapproving of the project and standing by the position you took against the approval of this terminal in 2010. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.


Sincerely,

FRANK PALLONE, JR.

Member of Congress

NJ Watchdog: Court examines state's role in public record requests

Friend or foe? Court examines state's role in public record requests

Gov. Chris Christie and New Jersey Watchdog will battle in appeals court Thursday in a case that could change how the state cooperates with citizens who ask for public records.

Under Christie, the state Open Public Records Act often resembles a shell game. The governor’s office can reject requests without really explaining why. Requestors must choose whether to walk away or bet on an appeals process that’s often lengthy and potentially costly.

In its appeal, New Jersey Watchdog is asking a higher court to hold government officials to a higher standard.

“The government is not allowed to be sneaky,” argued its attorney, Donald M. Doherty Jr. “It must be above board in all of its dealings. In dealing with the public, the government must ‘turn square corners.’”

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/242038/nj-public-records/

Exposed! NJ Watchdog reveals Gov. Christie's 'valuable asset'

For nine months, Chris Christie fought hard to keep a public record secret – even though it contained no real secrets, confidential information or anything likely to endanger anyone. It’s a “valuable asset,” the New Jersey governor’s lawyers claimed – one that would “cause irreparable harm to the state” if released.

Judge for yourself! New Jersey Watchdog is publishing Christie's prized media list, obtained under court order. The until-now-secret record and underlying story of how the governor uses his office to further his ambitions are online at http://watchdog.org/241975/watchdog-reveals-christie-asset/.

HYPOCRISY ALERT: CHRISTIE TELLS THE PRESIDENT TO DO WHAT HE WON'T DO

New Jersey Shouldn't Be Forced to Suffer Through Governor's Hypocrisy and Neglect

(Trenton) — Recently, on conservative talk radio, Governor Christie attacked President Obama and suggested that he step aside. There is one glaring problem with his outlandish suggestion: New Jersey has been asking Chris Christie to do just that for months.

The governor’s well documented ethical misconduct, failed economic policies, administrative mismanagement, cronyism, and neglect of state affairs, have led a majority of New Jersey to want him, not the president, to resign -- a fact some in the media have conveniently overlooked.

However, as a Rutgers-Eagleton poll highlighted this summer, New Jerseyans see through Christie's deceitful ways:

• A majority of voters, 53 percent, said Christie's out-of-state campaigning hurts his ability to do his day job.
• An even larger majority, 59 percent, believe the governor's decisions to sign or veto bills are more about his presidential run than about what is best for New Jersey.
• And 54 percent of Garden State voters want Christie to step down.

"Mr. Christie is eager to distance himself from the problems he created in New Jersey, but that is no excuse for this hypocrisy," said John Currie, Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. "We know the truth: that Governor Christie lacks the credibility to make most of the claims he is making on the campaign trail. Unfortunately, that does not change the fact that New Jersey’s families are suffering, and addressing our challenges should be the governor's top priority. If Christie wants to continue embarrassing himself with his lies and partisan attacks, he should leave his job to someone committed to doing it -- someone who will not put their personal ambitions ahead of New Jersey's needs."

NJ Watchdog: Christie shoots from hip but wounds credibility

Chris Christie has never been one to mince words. The New Jersey governor says what he thinks, but it’s not clear if he thought about what he said.

Last week, Christie interrupted his run for the White House long enough to criticize legislators for not paying enough attention to state business. Last month, he warned Hillary Clinton that he plans to grill her about emails in a debate, overlooking his own legal issues. Finally, the portly governor ordered the leader of the New Jersey National Guard to lose weight.

Let’s take it from the top. Christie last week blasted the New Jersey Assembly for not focusing on legislative matters.

“The fact is they don’t want to interrupt their precious campaign time for a minute,” he told a breakfast meeting of business leaders in Hanover.

Later that morning, the governor boarded a plane to Iowa in pursuit of his presidential ambitions. So far this year, Christie has traveled out-of-state on at least 145 days. Yet to hear him tell it, he’s the only one minding the Statehouse.

“I’m the Maytag repairman,” said Christie. “Sit in my office in Trenton, all alone.”

The New Jersey governor likes to shoot from the hip – but those shots often ricochet back to wound his credibility.

While most of the Assembly’s 80 members seek re-election in November, they can generally be found in their legislative districts. Meanwhile, Christie is fixated on New Hampshire, where he plans to hold 100 town meetings before the February primary.

To add injury to insult, New Jersey taxpayers have spent more than $1.3 million for the travel costs of the state police troopers who accompany Christie on his trips away from the Garden State.

The complete story is online at http://watchdog.org/240912/christie-credibility/.

Letter: NJ Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Are a Sham

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:

Dear Editor,

New Jersey's medical marijuana dispensary system is a sham. A handful of politically connected business people (one of which is former Gov. Whitman's brother) have been given a green light by the Christie Administration to become a state-backed federally illegal drug cartel.

The State of New Jersey's position is that only medical marijuana produced by the state-backed cartel is lawful, and home grow medicine (or medicine from out-of-state dispensaries) is an illegal drug, amounts to a racketeering scheme under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). This scheme creates a monopoly on a federally illegal substance and unfairly leaves legitimate patients and caregivers subject to state-level criminal prosecution.

While New Jersey may remove state-level criminal penalties against medical marijuana, it has no power to affirmatively authorize a select few to violate federal law, while prosecuting the rest.

New Jersey's medical marijuana system is a mafia-controlled for-profit business designed to maximize profits for the politically corrupt, at the expense of patients. Overpriced, sub-par products are being sold by these businesses. State officials have become co-conspirators in a federally illegal scheme.

Shut down the dispensaries and let patients grow at home.



Eric Hafner
Toms River

NJ Watchdog: Christie's transparency disappears

Chris Christie and the case of a public record that mysteriously shrunk in half are returning to Superior Court.

Last month, the court ordered the governor’s office to release its “secret” directory of media contacts and VIPs, assembled at taxpayers’ expense.

But what Christie’s staff gave New Jersey Watchdog last week contained only half of the information described in court papers. Instead of 2,500 names, the list has only 1,229 entries.

Judge Mary C. Jacobson will hear arguments next week on whether or not the record was altered before its release, a possible violation of the court’s order.

It is another chapter in the governor’s contentious battle to keep confidential a key cog in a publicity machine that turned Christie into a national figure and set the stage for his White House run.

The list was created by the Christie’s communications staff of 16 full-time state employees paid $1.36 million in salaries last year, New Jersey Watchdog found. It helped the governor score countless national television appearances, plus 8,761,511 views on YouTube, 176,955 likes on Facebook and 6,810 tweets to 489,000 followers on Twitter during his first five years in office.

At the center of the latest dispute is a certification by Matt Katz of WNYC. Katz was allowed to review but not copy the list at the governor’s office last year, as part of a settlement in a public records lawsuit by New York Public Radio.

Katz reported the list contained roughly 2,500 names. In viewing the record released to New Jersey Watchdog, he found “substantial differences” between it and what the governor’s staff had allowed him to inspect. In his statement to the court, Katz gave specific examples of information conspicuously missing from the list.

The complete story is online at http://watchdog.org/240489/christie-transparency-disappears/.