Gov. Chris Christie's office says the funds were spent on concessions for official use.
Christie spent $82,594 on concessions during football games over his first five years in office.
Christie's spokesman says the official nature and business purpose of the event "remains the case," even if it's at a sporting venue such as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where the Jets and Giants play.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie spent about $300,000 of his state allowance for food and alcohol over his first five years in office for official state receptions — including tens of thousands of dollars on snacks and drinks at NFL games, documents reveal.
The Garden State Republican and potential 2016 candidate spent $82,594 of his taxpayer-funded allowance just on concessions at MetLife Stadium, the New Jersey complex where the New York Giants and New York Jets play, over the course of the 2010 and 2011 NFL football seasons, according to records obtained by the Associated Press and New Jersey Watchdog through Open Public Records Act requests.
As governor, Christie receives a $95,000 yearly expense allowance, on top of his $175,000 salary, to be used for official entertainment or other expenses associated with the job.
The governor’s office said Christie spent the money on official events.
“The official nature and business purpose of the event remains the case regardless of whether the event is at the State House, Drumthwacket or a sporting venue,” said Christie’s press secretary Kevin Roberts told New Jersey Watchdog in a prepared statement.
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The New Jersey Republican State Committee later reimbursed the state Treasury for the purchases at MetLife Stadium, and Christie hasn’t since used his expense account at the stadium, the records revealed.
From 2010 to 2015, Christie also spent $102,495 of the money on food and alcoholic beverages from retail stores, the records showed — for the catering of official events and receptions at the governor’s mansion in Princeton and at the State House in Trenton.
Over that time period, the Christie administration spent $76,373 across 53 shopping runs at Wegmans Food Markets, $11,971 across 51 shopping runs at ShopRite supermarkets and another $6,536 across seven runs to ShopRite’s liquor stores.
Christie spokesman Brian Murray said the purchases were made at Wegmans and ShopRite because they provided economical catering services.
The amount the Christie administration spent on food dropped significantly in 2013, because of a less-packed official schedule, Murray said.
“The amount spent from the annual fund depends on the number of events that are scheduled within an individual year,” Murray said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/chris-christie-spent-300k-food-drink-2010-2015-article-1.2217706
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