Exxon Settles $9 Billion Pollution Case in New Jersey for Far Less | Emergency Preparedness | Forums

Did Christie get paid off?

A review of state campaign finance databases shows no record of Exxon’s making any campaign contribution to Mr. Christie, either through its political action committee or directly, in those years available online.

Exxon did contribute $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association in May 2014, when Mr. Christie was serving a one-year term as its chairman; the company has contributed annually to the group since at least 2008, records show.

An Exxon spokesman said on Friday that the company’s annual contributions depended on the number of contests for governor that year, and that Mr. Christie’s position had no bearing on the 2014 amount.

If the settlement is completed, it is possible that some or even none of the money would go toward environmental costs in the Exxon case: An appropriations law in New Jersey allows money beyond the first $50 million collected in such cases in the current fiscal year to go toward balancing the state budget, a state fiscal analyst said.

A spokesman for Mr. Christie referred questions about the settlement to the attorney general’s office. A spokesman for the acting attorney general, John J. Hoffman, said on Thursday that the office had no comment, as was its practice with pending litigation. Exxon also declined to comment on the settlement.

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