N.J. lawmaker wants to keep track of Christie’s travels

A New Jersey lawmaker is introducing legislation that would require Gov. Chris Christie to notify legislative leaders whenever he leaves the state.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg’s bill comes after some Democrats have criticized Christie for attending out-of-state fundraising events without disclosing details of his whereabouts.

Christie insists he will not disclose the details of personal trips that aren’t funded by taxpayers while Weinberg says a simple notification that he’ll be out of state is not a breach of privacy.

Patrick Murray, a Monmouth University political analyst, said the governor should not have to disclose when he makes personal trips with his family.

“But when he goes out to Colorado to speak to a convention, he is the governor,” Murray said. “He was invited there as the governor and, in those cases, I do think the public has an interest in knowing what he’s up to.”

Rider University political science professor Ben Dworkin says Weinberg’s bill is not likely to become law.

“This is not an exercise in futility because there’s probably some political benefit for the Democrats in doing it,” Dworkin said. “It is an exercise in futility if success is actually passing this law.”