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Christie Taken To Task Over Political Use Of State Helicopter

By David Madden

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is being criticized, again, for his use of a State Police helicopter for personal reasons.

Actually, this time they're political. State Senator Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex County) is taking exception to Christie using the chopper to get to out of state events, including fundraisers, connected to his Presidential campaign.

"What we're talking about is trying to curb the personal and private use of valuable state police helicopters for out of state travel," Greenstein told KYW Newsradio.

Greenstein's bill would require quarterly reports of all chopper use by the Governor and staffers for legislative review.

The Christie campaign has reimbursed the state almost &13,000 for four political trips out of state, and suggest the bill is meant to embarrass the Governor.

Greenstein would disagree, insisting she's responding to constituent requests on both sides of the aisle.

"They're clearly very, very upset about the fact that the Governor is doing this and that he's flouting the respect, essentially, of these taxpayer funded items," Greenstein said.

For the record, she does not expect the bill to become law, given Christie would have to sign it, assuming it were to pass the legislature.

This is not the first time Christie has been taken to task for private use of the state police helicopter. The Governor reimbursed the state over $1,000 in 2011, after Democrats and the media grilled him over using the chopper to see his son play high school baseball.

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