NJ governor says he doesn’t regret helicopter use

    Democratic Assemblywoman Annette Quijano may want to ban the New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie from using state helicopters to get to personal and political events.

    But Christie doesn’t seem to care.

    He told CNN’s Piers Morgan last night that he would make the same decision again to use a state police helicopter to attend two of his son’s baseball games and a political event.

    In the interview, Christie says he would not have made a different decision about using the helicopter but would pay for it upfront to prevent the bad public perception.

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    As it happened, Christie says he paid for the ride afterward because he thought it was important to let the public know he wasn’t using the helicopter “as a perk of public office.”

    Morgan taped the interview with Christie at his home, at Livingston High School, where he attended, and at the Ritz Diner in Livingston.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal