The former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey told lawmakers Thursday that he did nothing wrong when he steered a multimillion-dollar contract to the firm of former Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Christopher Christie said during a House subcommittee hearing that controversy over the no-bid contract — worth as much as $52 million — has been exaggerated by Democrats looking to derail his bid as a Republican running for New Jersey governor. He said he recommended Ashcroft’s firm for the job because he knew that Ashcroft was qualified and because there was no Justice Department process to put the contract out to bid.
