According to an article by Molly Redden?of Mother Jones magazine, Chris Christie is opposing efforts to collect even basic information about his administration in 23 separate court cases.
And he is winning.
Or he is losing.
It depends on which Chris Christie is keeping score.
Chris Christie the Governor is losing most of the cases, and is expected to continue losing them on appeal.
But Chris Christie the Presidential Candidate is winning. That is because, just through the act of appealing the courts decision, he wins a stay of enforcement. To quote Matt Leurs, one of the attorneys doing battle against Christie:
“Appeals take two to three years. We’re already into the presidential elections. By the time we get these records, Christie could have a new address.”
There is every reason to believe that at least one of the documents that Christie is fighting to keep hidden could influence his presidential prospects. That much seems evident by the?kind of documents he wants to keep away from the public:
- Superstorm Sandy Relief: Chris Christie doesn’t want you to know at least two things about how his administration has handled the relief:?First, they don’t want you to know why they appear to have violated Fair Housing standards by refusing to issue?rebuilding grants to?some qualified families. Second, he doesn’t want you to know exactly what the state paid one of the contractor’s who participated in the relief – specifically, the Witt Group, to which is Christie political connected.
- Payment for Republican Campaign Expenses: During his time in office, Chris Christie has not only run for re-election, but he has done a great deal of out-of state campaigning for his fellow Republicans, too even serving?as head of the Republican Governor’s Association. Christie wants to keep secret how much the’state has paid in travel and other expenses, not only for his own campaign but also for all the campaigning he has done on behalf of Republicans.
- Possible Ethics Violations:?By far, the lawsuits in this category are the most troubling, both for the people of New Jersey and in terms of consequences for Christie’s possible presidential bid. Here are just two of the lawsuits in this category: First, Christie has still not turned over emails regarding the Bridgegate Scandal. Second, there is evidence of a possible “pay-to-play” scheme, but Christie is fighting the release of records (which, for all we know, could exonerate him).
- Boring Crap:?The Governor’s office has even blocked the release of the routine boring stuff that’s usually provided to the media as a matter of routine, like the Governor’s schedule and?payroll data. This raises inevitable questions, like: why doesn’t Christie want us to know what he does with his time in the Governor’s office, or what is in the payroll that he doesn’t want us to know about?
“Today, a new era of accountability and transparency is here.”
That is what Governor Christie said in his first inaugural address more than five years ago. And he has kept his word.?But sadly, the Christie Era is setting new lows in both.
