Christie Gave Trump A $25 Million Gift In NJ Taxpayer Dollars ... And Still Got Stiffed

Christie gave Trump a $25 million gift — and was still left on the sidelines

Mark Sumner

Chris Christie was one of the first notable Republicans to endorse Donald Trump. But former presidential candidate and very part-time New Jersey Gov. Christie did a lot more for Trump than just stand behind him and give a profound “help me” stare. A lot more.

By the time Chris Christie became governor of New Jersey, the state’s auditors and lawyers had been battling for several years to collect long-overdue taxes owed by the casinos founded by his friend Donald J. Trump.

The total, with interest, had grown to almost $30 million. The state had doggedly pursued the matter through two of the casinos’ bankruptcy cases and even accused the company led by Mr. Trump of filing false reports with state casino regulators about the amount of taxes it had paid.

These would be the same casinos where Trump shorted everyone from cabinet makers to heating and cooling contractors to the point where some people went out of business waiting on Trump to pay his bills. Meanwhile, Trump bragged that he "came out great" by taking advantage of bankruptcy laws, even as wokers and investors lost everything. 

But the tax bill problem wouldn't require any tricky legal maneuvering.

… the year after Governor Christie, a Republican, took office, the tone of the litigation shifted. The state entertained settlement offers. And in December 2011, after six years in court, the state agreed to accept just $5 million, roughly 17 cents on the dollar of what auditors said the casinos owed.

Christie claims that he was unaware of the deal. Which is odd, considering that Trump and Christie had been friends for nine years, including numerous shared adventures. They even went on double dates. Trump was a guest at Christie’s inauguration shortly before the tax deal.

It seems highly unlikely that Christie would be unaware of the state’s argument with his old pal, or that New Jersey would suddenly relent on a case underway since 2005 without a bit of nudging. Negotiating a reduction in long-overdue taxes isn’t unusual. Agreeing to take $25 million off a $30 million bill? That is. 

Which helps explain this.

Christie tells MI GOP of Pence: "We don't need another big mouth from Congress...What Donald needed was a partner who governed."

That’s $25 million, a dozen cheeseburgers, and a lifetime of personal humiliation talking.