Here’s something you won’t hear former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie talk about on the campaign trail. As accusations are being flung by the far right against the FBI and tales of the once proud organization being run as a political playground are rampant, Christie played a key role in the nomination of FBI director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by former President Donald J. Trump.
Wray was the personal attorney of Chris Christie while he was governor of New Jersey and that’s where things start to sound bad.
According to a WNYC report in 2017, Christopher Wray, President Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, billed New Jersey taxpayers over $2.1 million for his legal services while representing Governor Chris Christie in the Bridgegate trial. This information became public following a records request by WNYC to the state Attorney General’s Office, which showed heavily redacted billing details.
Christopher Wray’s work for Christie was largely under the radar but the former governor paid Wray and another attorney over $15 million, paid for by the taxpayers of New Jersey.
“Specifics about Wray’s services to Christie have not been disclosed. Wray himself has not publicly discussed his role in the case. The bills included not only legal fees but also expenses for taxi fare, parking, meals, and plane trips—10 flights totaling over $14,000. Wray’s legal work intensified during the Bridgegate trial, with charges amounting to about $300,000, despite Christie never being called to testify in court,” the report continued. “Wray continued to bill New Jersey for services even after the trial concluded, including a $1,963.40 charge for a plane flight. His billing continued until at least April 25, a month after defendants in the Bridgegate case, Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, received prison sentences of 18 months and two years, respectively.”