Corzine Policy as Governor: No helicopters on the public's dime for private or political events

by: Rosi Efthim

Tue May 31, 2011 at 11:52:53 PM EDT

A big part of the Chris Christie zeitgeist is that there is one set of rules for everybody else, and then all the stuff he gets to do, because the rules for him are ... just for him. It feels like we've been covering that part of Christie forever. Some NJ reporters recognize Christie's pattern, most national reporters do not. The Iowa GOP bigwigs Christie flew back in our chopper to see might know, but they don't care. They're just bored with the dullest GOP presidential field in a generation.

So, today when the law and order, fiscal conservative, better-with-your-tax-money-than-the-other-guy governor got called out for commandeering a 55-foot, $12.5 million helicopter meant for fighting terrorism and transporting critically-injured accident victims to ride to a kids ballgame and a political meeting, the very first thing his spokesman did was try to equalize Christie's bad actions.

How? Pretty much by saying all the other guys did it. The fact that that isn't actually true, at least for the governor Christie campaigned against and beat, doesn't seem to scratch Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak's story too much.

Informed that Drewniak told reporters, "This has historically been the case in prior administrations as well, and we continue to be judicious in limiting its use," Joshua Zeitz, senior policy adviser to former governor Jon Corzine and current Chief of Staff at the Corzine-helmed brokerage firm MF Global, clarified for Blue Jersey Corzine's policy during his time as Governor:

He always paid for a private helicopter when traveling on private or political business. We understood it to be illegal to use state resources for private or political purposes. Always.

More disturbing is the sense that we've been here before with this governor. As Courier Post reporter Jane Roh suggests in a tweet for her readable take on this matter - Why Christie's state chopper ride is a BFD:

Does state chopper ride + US atty travel expenses + use of state credit = disturbing pattern for @GovChristie?

Shorter Jane: Yes.

Rosi Efthim :: Corzine Policy as Governor: No helicopters on the public's dime for private or political events

Tags: Chris Christie, Jon Corzine, travel, coptergate, featured, helicopter, Joshua Zeitz, MF Global, Michael Drewniak, (All Tags)

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Corzine Policy as Governor: No helicopters on the public's dime for private or political events | 4 comments

#CopterGate n/t (0.00 / 0)

by: DSWright @ Wed Jun 01, 2011 at 03:56:57 AM UTC

Samantha Gordon (1.00 / 2)

refused to ride in helicopters ...you always to confining you always had to wear your seatbelt ....

by: speedkillsu @ Wed Jun 01, 2011 at 08:50:07 AM UTC

No one above or below scrutiny (0.00 / 0)

It is a story and questions should be asked.

Unless there was a state emergency he should have planned his day just like other parents.

Arrogance of power? Probably not, at least not in this case. But I ,as a taxpayer,would like to know why he felt the need to use this mode of transportation.

by: firstamend07 @ Wed Jun 01, 2011 at 08:58:26 AM UTC

i think we can all agree... (3.00 / 1)

...that had this been for legitimate official state business, him using the chopper wouldn't be a big deal.

He wanted to make a meeting with people from Iowa who wanted him to run for president. He wanted to make his son's baseball game.

First, if he was going to the meeting just to tell them he wasn't running for president, he could have re-scheduled the meeting. Or he could have done it via Skype. Or he could have had another YouTube moment.

Second, it's not like his son was in a championship game - a once in a lifetime game. Us normal people with normal jobs and families realize that throughout life, we miss things. I don't know how many of my soccer games my dad missed because he had to work. I don't know how many family holiday dinners I've missed because of my job.

by: southernbluedog @ Thu Jun 02, 2011 at 11:41:41 AM UTC