The former U.S. attorney for New Jersey told lawmakers today that he did nothing wrong when he steered a multimillion-dollar contract to the firm of former Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Chris Christie said during a House subcommittee hearing that controversy over the no-bid contract — worth as much as $52 million — has been exaggerated by Democrats looking to derail his bid as a Republican running for New Jersey governor. He said he recommended Ashcroft’s firm for the job because he knew that Ashcroft was qualified and because there was no Justice Department process to put the contract out to bid.
Christie, telling lawmakers he had a train to catch, finally walked out of the hearing in frustration after two and a half hours. Democrats tried to get him to stay as television cameras followed him out.
The contract for Ashcroft’s firm has caused anxiety at the Justice Department and in Congress for more than a year, since media reports in New Jersey questioned whether Christie had given Ashcroft, his former boss, a deal. The Justice Department has since changed the process for how such contracts are awarded.
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