TRENTON, N.J. — After taking a beating for more than a day, Gov. Chris Christie agreed Thursday to reimburse the state for personal use of a police helicopter to fly to two of his son’s high school baseball games and a political dinner with GOP donors.
But the governor, revered among Republicans for his hard-charging, budget-cutting ways and reviled among many Democrats for the same traits, made no apologies for what called an effort to be a good father.
Christie, often mentioned as a potential 2012 presidential candidate, said he paid $2,100 and asked the state Republican Party to pay $1,200 to cover the costs — not because he believed he was in the wrong, but because the furor had become a distraction from serious matters.
He said he had been assured by the State Police that he did not have to reimburse the state for the personal flights because the pilots needed to log the flying hours anyway to keep their skills sharp. And he said he chose to fly to his son’s ballgames as a way of balancing his role as governor because there was no other way to get there in time.
