Feds: Christie’s post-Sandy ads were OK

The federal government has determined that New Jersey did not run afoul of any regulations when Gov. Chris Christie starred in ads that promoted the shore in the summer after Superstorm Sandy hit the state.

But an audit by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general found the state made mistakes in procuring the $25 million marketing contract.

New Jersey officials failed to make independent cost estimates, according to a report issued last week and made public Wednesday. It also found the marketing firm that won the contract did not have timesheets to support all its charges.

The report says the errors were made because the state government was not aware of some of the federal procurement rules, the report said, adding that the state has taken steps to fix the problems.

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