Chris Christie Used Trump Ties to Make Money: Report

• Chris Christie made thousands and thousands as a lobbyist after leaving workplace, a New York Instances report discovered. 
• His ties to former Donald Trump helped foster relationships with corporations, per the Instances.
• One such firm was sports activities betting web site DraftKings, the Instances reported.

Chris Christie leveraged his ties to former President Donald Trump and his standing as a former New Jersey governor to make thousands and thousands in a number of enterprise sectors, together with sports activities betting and prescription drugs, a New York Instances report discovered.

Following his departure from workplace, Christie made clear his intentions to generate income, and since then has lobbied on behalf of hospitals and the prescription drugs trade. He additionally began the lobbying agency Christie 55 Options, which has earned $1.5 million from seven purchasers, Open Secrets and techniques discovered.

One in every of these corporations, Pacira Biosciences, immediately benefitted from Christie after being appointed to an opioids fee by Trump, the Instances reported. Christie asserts that his time working with the corporate didn’t overlap along with his time working with Trump. 

Sports activities betting corporations like DraftKings additionally paid Christie hundreds to advise and foyer their pursuits. As governor, Christie made legalizing sports activities betting one in every of his political touchpoints and was even later inducted into the Sports activities Betting Corridor of Fame.

One unnamed supply advised the outlet that one firm, Scientific Video games, paid Christie $30,000 a month as a advisor in 2018. 

Draft Kings paid Christie month-to-month to talk to state legislators and promote their pursuits at the moment, the Instances, which uncovered the connection between Christie and DraftKings, studies. The Instances didn’t report how a lot Christie made, and representatives for Christie declined to share monetary data with the outlet.

DraftKings, a web-based sports activities betting discussion board, additionally paid Christie to talk to state legislators to advertise the pursuits of sports activities playing, the Instances reported, following a Supreme Court docket case that made it authorized for states to cross sports activities betting legal guidelines. Christie was instrumental in placing this case ahead whereas governor, the Instances notes. 

Jeremy Kudon, who labored with DraftKings and FanDuel on lobbying efforts whereas the positioning was paying Christie, advised the Instances that the sports activities betting giants thought what they believed was Christie’s attraction with reasonable voters and right-wing conservatives — influenced by his connection to Trump — could be “useful” to their pursuits. 

“Having the George Washington of legalized gaming within the US was clearly one thing we thought could be useful. And his relationship with Trump we thought could be useful,” Kudon advised the Instances. 

The Instances studies, nonetheless, that DraftKings stopped working with Christie after the corporate started focusing on conservative states and Christie started talking out in opposition to Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged in opposition to him. 

Christie, a Trump enemy-turned-ally through the 2016 election, not too long ago introduced his 2024 presidential bid, reigniting his feud with the previous president, who can be operating. 

A consultant for Christie declined to remark to Insider. DraftKings and Scientific Video games didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark.