Christie: N.J. Taxpayers Will Pay For Presidential Campaign Protection

Gov. Chris Christie will be out-of-state on his presidential campaign trail, but New Jersey taxpayers will continue to pay for all his State Police protection costs.

Christie said Friday that his presidential campaign will not reimburse the state for the added cost associated with his security detail, according to nj.com.

Speaking out of a New Hampshire Diner, Christie said:

“In the end, anywhere I go, the troopers need to go — whether I want them to go or not ... We’re going to continue to conduct this in the same way I’ve always conducted it.”

By contrast, taxpayers will not pay the travel costs of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s security detail on political jaunts as he steps out-of-state for his likely presidential run, according to The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Wisconsin tax dollars will pay for the salaries and benefits of the State Patrol troopers who guard the governor and his family. But “Our American Revival,” Walker’s pending campaign, will pick up the officers’ travel costs when Walker attends political rallies, fundraisers and other events, according to the report.

Walker’s decision, however, came after the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that Wisconsin taxpayers paid $138,000 for the governor’s trade mission to Great Britain.

Christie’s statements drew ire from Democratic lawmakers who believe Christie should follow Walker’s lead and pick up the tab, according to one report.

According to northjersey.com:

“The taxpayers of New Jersey must be scratching their heads and think this is pretty outrageous,” said Assemblyman Gary Schaer, D-Passaic, chairman of the chamber’s budget panel. “With the budget in such disastrous shape, the taxpayers are now being asked to pay for state troopers so he can travel around the country. It doesn’t make sense.”

Christie has spent a lot of time out of state lately - to the point that taxpayers reportedly paid $492,420 for his travel costs in 2014, according to a published report.

The report comes from a website that is part of a national chain called Watchdog.org, which targets government spending, waste and corruption. The New Jersey site is operated by prominent investigative journalist Mark Lagerkvist, a former special projects reporter at The Asbury Park Press who also worked at CNBC.

The website allows Patch to reprint its information with permission.

Photo: Chris Christie campaign