A New Jersey Watchdog reporter is suing Gov. Chris Christie for expense records of nearly $800,000 charged to American Express credit cards for the travel costs of the governor’s state police security detail.
Christie’s staff denied reporter Mark Lagerkvist’s Open Records Act request for monthly statements and related documents, saying that release of details on past charges could 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. Last year, Christie traveled outside New Jersey on more than 100 days while visiting 36 states, Mexico and Canada.
"We have a governor with political ambitions, he's traveling a lot," said Lagerkvist. "Are New Jersey taxpayers in effect subsidizing his political aspirations?"
The public records lawsuit was filed Friday in Mercer County Superior Court.
