American Democracy Legal Fund known for its ties to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton filed a complaint against New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with the State Ethics Commission. Closely associated with American Bridge that conducts opposition research on Republicans, the group urged the commission to investigate if Christie, a Republican, violated ethics rules by accepting gifts from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
The group argued that Christie’s accepting from Cowboys a private jet ride and box tickets to NFL games is a violation of state ethics rules since Jones is a co-owner of Legends Hospitality which recently was selected by Christie and New York Governor Cuomo to operate the observatory at One World Trade Center after a “competitive public procurement process.” The Complaint said, “ . . . Given Mr. Jones’ own personal business relationship with the Port Authority which is partially controlled by Governor Christie, it appears Governor Christie’s acceptance of gifts from Mr. Jones violates (state ethic rules).”
In response, Christie’s office said that governors may receive gifts from “relatives or personal friends that are paid for with personal funds” under an executive order. Further, the Governor’s spokeswoman Maria Comella said, “Is anyone surprised pro-Hilary PACs like American Bridge and partisan organizations like the DNC are using the Governor’s support of a football team for a political hit?”
Appointed by Christie to run the ethics commission, Susan Guerrero said earlier that she “personally [didn’t] see anything contrary to the ethics laws” because Christie did not attend the games as the governor of New Jersey.