Chris Christie Gives Back

Chris Christie has been travelling the country supporting Republican gubernatorial candidates on his own personal "I'm not running no matter what it looks like" tour.

Here's how the Wall Street Journal describes it. The Republican Governor's Association spent $7 million to get Chris Christie elected. And now Chris Christie's advisors are letting it be known that Chris Christie has raised about $7 million for Republican governor races across the country.

And this is an essential part of the Chris Christie brand. Chris Christie rewards those who help him.

For example, many cited Christie’s appointment as a Federal prosecutor by President Bush as little more than political payback. However, Herbert Stern supported Christie’s appointment. Stern had previously held the job of U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, before becoming a respected jurist and ultimately returning to private practice.

For his support, Herbert Stern’s law firm was later awarded a no-bid monitor contract by U.S. Attorney Christie, which paid $500 an hour and ultimately netted the firm over $8 million. Also, when Sam Stern, Herbert’s son, applied for a position as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey and was turned down, Christie personally intervened and Stern the younger was ultimately hired. Such intervention in personnel matters is against the regulations governing the hiring of Assistant U.S. Attorneys.

And John Ashcroft, the Attorney General when Chris Christie was appointed U.S. Attorney, was also rewarded. When Ashcroft returned to private practice, Christie appointed John Ashcroft’s firm to a Federal monitor position which paid more than $52 million over 18 months, one of the highest payouts ever to a Federal monitor.

Now, the good people at Reform Jersey Now are spending a lot of money to push forward the Christie agenda. One wonders how the good Governor will pay them back.