Unnamed U.S. Attorney 'most often exceeded the government rate without justification'
N.J. Gov. Chris Christie pauses during a Statehouse news conference on Oct. 7.TRENTON — When he was the state's top federal lawman, Gov. Chris Christie spent more money than allowed by regulations more often than any other U.S. attorney in the country during 2007 and 2008, according to a report issued today.
Neither Christie nor the four other U.S. attorneys criticized was named. But MainJustice.com, an independent online news site that chronicles the goings on at the U.S. Justice Department, reported that Christie is apparently "U.S. Attorney C."
The report by the department's Inspector General's office said U.S. Attorney C "was the U.S. attorney who most often exceeded the government rate without adequate justification. The U.S. Attorney provided insufficient, inaccurate, or no justification for 14 of 23 trips (61 percent) that exceeded the government rate."
The Justice Department guidelines lay out a sliding scale of acceptable costs for travel, lodging and other expenses while U.S. attorney's are on the road. Christie's roadtrip expenses became a controversial topic during his campaign for governor last year when Democrats accused him of violating federal rules even as he held others to the highest standards of propriety.
Christie's office did not have an immediate response to today's report.
Previous coverage:
• GOP gubernatorial candidate Christie says he would loosen N.J.'s business travel policy
• GOP candidate Christie's travel record as U.S. Attorney comes under fire by N.J. Democrats