New Jersey Republicans Pay for Chris Christie's Helicopter Habit

After a public outcry, the party cut a couple of checks and told journalists to go home

The New Jersey Republican party forked over the $1,232.29 it cost the state to fly Governor Chris Christie in a helicopter to his son's high school baseball game on Tuesday, saying "the check has already been delivered." Christie will also pay $919.20 for a different trip to a baseball game last Friday. Christie fielded a swarm of bad press when an intrepid citizen journalist in Wood-Ridge snapped a slideshow's worth of photos showing Christie swooping down onto the field in a state trooper chopper. Designed for "law enforcement, emergency medical transportation and homeland security duties," the brand new helicopter joined the state's fleet on May 4 at the cost of $12.5 million to tax payers. The party-sponsored reimbursement contradicts Christie's office refusal to pay on Wednesday. "The governor does not reimburse for security and travel," a spokesman told the Star-Ledger. "The use of air travel has been extremely limited and appropriate." On the other hand, technically the statement holds: looks like the party, not Christie, is doing most of the reimbursing.