New Jersey taxpayers have not footed the bills for any of Gov. Chris Christie's trips to personally cheer on the Dallas Cowboys — including Sunday's game which saw the governor euphoric over his team's defeat of the Detroit Lions in the NFL playoffs.
The tab, excluding the governor's security detail, has been picked up by Jerry Jones, the team's owner,
NJ.Com reported, citing the governor's spokesman Kevin Roberts.
Jones pays for the tickets and for the cost of sending his private jet to transport the governor.
Christie has attended three games under this or similar arrangements: one in Philadelphia and two in Dallas. But Jones didn't have to pay for air travel for the second Dallas game, on Dec. 21, because the governor, his wife, and their four children were visiting the state anyway.
While Christie's critics mocked his excitement over his team's victory, and a few challenged the
ethics of taking the freebies from Jones, this time the governor was not skewered for rooting for the Cowboys over New Jersey-area teams like the Giants, Jets or Eagles, since those teams did not make the playoffs.
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey signed an executive order that allows governors to "accept gifts, favors, services, gratuities, meals, lodging or travel expenses from relatives or personal friends that are paid for with personal funds," NJ.Com reported.
American Bridge, a Democratic group connected to Hillary Clinton, announced that it had filed a request to discover the price of the trips. The governor's spokesman said he did not know how much it cost Jones to bring Christie and his family to the games.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.