Christie’s hotel bills criticized
Then-U.S. attorney stayed at luxury inns
WASHINGTON – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is raising his national political profile as a government cost-cutter, engaged in a pattern of abuse when he was U.S. attorney by billing taxpayers to stay at luxury hotels, the Justice Department’s inspector general said in a report Monday.
The inspector general found that the Republican governor did not comply with federal travel regulations or provide acceptable justification for lodging costs that exceeded the government rate.
Christie was one of five U.S. attorneys singled out for criticism in the inspector general’s review of U.S. attorney travel that exceeded the government lodging rate. Christie was the chief federal prosecutor for New Jersey from 2002 until Dec. 1, 2008, when he resigned to run for governor. He became governor last January.
While the amount of money involved in the review of Christie’s travel vouchers is small, $2,176, the IG’s report comes at a time when Christie’s political star is rising as he focuses on reducing the cost of government.
Fifteen of the 23 travel vouchers for lodging that Christie submitted from 2007 to 2009 exceeded the government rate for lodging, the report stated.
The U.S. attorney “provided insufficient, inaccurate or no justification” for 14 of the 15 trips, the report added.