The ad was part of a campaign named Å“Stronger than the Storm”, and tried to convince tourists to return to New Jersey shoe after it was ravaged by the Superstorm Sandy.
New Jersey governorâ„¢s political scandal is expanding as federal auditors are investigating whether he misused $25 million in Sandy relief funds for a tourism ad, a report says.
The ad starring Republican governor Chris Christie and his family was launched during Christieâ„¢s preparation for his 2013 re-election bid, according to USA Today.
The inspector general for the Department of Housing and Urban Development has said there is enough evidence to launch a full-scale investigation, the newspaper said.
Investigators will look for the ways which Christie chose to spend the marketing money approved by HUD.
The ad was part of a campaign named Å“Stronger than the Storm”, and tried to convince tourists to return to New Jersey shore after it was ravaged by the Superstorm Sandy.
Colin Reed, a spokesman for Christie, said Monday that the campaign “was just one part of the first action plan approved by the Obama Administration and developed with the goal of effectively communicating that the Jersey Shore was open for business during the first summer after Sandy.”
Rep. Frank Pallone, a 27-year House veteran and vocal critic of the governor, said he had asked the inspector general in August to investigate the bidding process of a $4.7 million contract to produce the ad.
“This was money that could have directly been used for Sandy recovery. And, as you know, many of my constituents still haven’t gotten the money that is owed them to rebuild their homes or raise their homes or to help,” Pallone told CNN.
The investigation comes a week after another allegation that Christie was probably linked to a deliberate plan to create traffic gridlock in a town at the base of a major bridge in early September, apparently to punish a Democratic mayor who had refused to endorse him for re-election.
But on Thursday Christie apologized for that incident, refused any involvement and announced he had fired a senior aide involved in the case.
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Source: Press TV