Team Christie Pushed Deal for Exxon

A former New Jersey environmental official alleges Gov. Chris Christie’s chief counsel pushed a favorable settlement for Exxon in the state’s lawsuits against the oil company. Last week, New Jersey settled a lawsuit against Exxon over the contamination of 1,500 acres that saw the oil company pay only $250 million on a $8.9 billion claim. Bradley Campbell, who served as commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection when the lawsuits were filed, wrote a New York Times op-ed that alleges Christie’s chief counsel “inserted himself into the case, elbowed aside the attorney general and career employees who had developed and prosecuted the litigation, and cut the deal favorable to Exxon.”