What Chris Christie Didn't Say at His Campaign Kickoff
Pro Publica
June 30, 2015
WHAT CHRIS CHRISTIE DIDN'T SAY AT HIS CAMPAIGN KICKOFF
Now that Chris Christie is officially running for president, his record as governor of New Jersey will be getting a lot more scrutiny.
As we reported with the Washington Post in April, there's plenty to look at.
Our reporting focused on Republican Christie's fiscal record, an area where he's claimed some of his biggest achievements -- and committed some of the "Budget Sins" he attacked his predecessors for.
Kicking off his campaign today, Christie used familiar rhetoric to champion his record in New jersey.
"We rolled up our sleeves and we went to work and we balanced six budgets in a row," he said.
"We've refused to raise taxes on the people of this state for six years."
But as our earlier reporting showed, Christie's fiscal record doesn't always line up with his campaign's "Telling It Like It Is" tagline.
Take public employee pensions, a chronic problem in New Jersey.
When Christie signed his sixth budget on Friday, he reiterated his claim that his contributions to the state's pensions have far outpaced those of his predecessors.
As we pointed out in April, that's only true if you exclude a $2.75 billion pension contribution by former Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.
Christie doesn't count Whitman's payment because it was made with borrowed money, allowing him to assert that pension contributions under his administration are "more than twice as much as any other governor in New Jersey history."
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http://www.propublica.org/article/what-chris-christie-didnt-say-at-his-campaign-kickoff
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