People really want to know how much did New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s helicopter ride to his son’s baseball game Tuesday cost, and who paid for it?
Christie, who in March lost a battle in NJ State Supreme Court that found his massive $820 million education cuts were illegal and needed to be restored, has been a big talker on the subject of waste and smart spending, but flying a State Police helicopter to his son’s baseball game, then getting in a car to drive 100 yards, then leaving after the 5th inning to met with Iowa Republicans who were trying to convince the one-term governor to run for President is beyond the pale.
Via NJ.com:
“If these reports are true, the governor has potentially violated the law by using public resources for private purposes,” said Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex). “This is a serious breach of public trust and necessitates a full accounting of his use of government resources, particularly, the state police helicopter. The Attorney General and U.S. Attorney should demand all records of the governor’s travel to ensure that he has not made a habit of using taxpayer dollars for personal or political travel.”
“To use these vehicles to shuttle between both a personal and a political activity is an outright abuse of taxpayer dollars,” Assemblywoman Joan Quigley (D-Bergen) said in a statement. “I’m sure every resident of this state would love to have access to these helicopters when they’re stuck in traffic on the Turnpike or Parkway and missing an important appointment. Sadly, we don’t all have that luxury.”
NPR notes on helicopters, “Renting private choppers doesn’t come cheap. HeliFlite, based in Newark, charges roughly $4,650 per hour before any potential discounts are applied that could bring the price under $4,000.”