Gov. Christie visited Roger Ailes at his upstate N.Y. home for dinner last summer
Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, left, admits to meeting with Gov. Chris Christie, but the governor will not reveal any email correspondence the two have shared.TRENTON — Emails between Gov. Chris Christie and Fox News chairman Roger Ailes may or may not exist. But even if they did, Christie's office won't fork them over, according to a report today on gossip website Gawker.com.
Last month, New York magazine reported that Christie had met with Ailes at his upstate New York home, along with talk radio star Rush Limbaugh. Ailes has since acknowledged that dinner took place.
So Gawker, famous for its over-the-top gossip coverage (they frequently refer to Christie as "Governor Sandwiches"), filed a request for the state to provide any email correspondences between Christie and Ailes, according to their report.
The site got a response from the governor's office, refusing to acknowledge if any emails exist, and claiming that if they did, they would be protected under executive privilege.
"In other words, Christie's staff refused to search for any records—which, given the undisputed reports of a dinner and phone call, almost certainly exist—on the basis that Ailes is a confidential adviser whose comments should be shielded from public scrutiny," the site wrote.
It's not unusual for New Jersey governors to claim exemptions from the Open Public Records Law (known as OPRA) under executive privilege.
Former Gov. Jon Corzine used executive privilege to withhold emails between him and Carla Katz, a former girlfriend and union attorney. Christie claimed executive privilege involving records about the failed Race to the Top application, but ultimately turned many of them over when threatened with a subpoena by lawmakers.