Chris Christie's Travel Costs Hit $1.77 million - And He's Back On The Road For Donald Trump

Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential ambitions have driven his total travel costs to $1.77 million, and that cost could continue to go up now that the governor is hitting the road for Donald Trump.

Of the nearly $614,000 spent on travel in 2015 by the State Police Executive Protection Unit, a published report says $545,000 was charged to American Express cards issued to the governor’s office.

Citing concerns for Christie’s safety, the state has refused to release the Amex statements that list food, lodging, transportation and incidental expenses for out-of-state trips, according to the report.

Overall, EPU expenses totaled nearly $1.77 million for Christie’s first six years as New Jersey governor. More than 85 percent – or $1.52 million – was charged to state Amex accounts, effectively exempt from outside scrutiny, according to the report.

The report comes from a NJ Spotlight reporter Mark Lagerkvist, a prominent investigative journalist former special projects reporter at The Asbury Park Press who also worked at CNBC.

He put together a timeline showing how the governor's expenses rose from $64,975 in 2010 to $613,693 in 2015, when more than $340,000 in EPU travel costs are racked up after June 30, the date Christie officially declared his candidacy for president.

Christie was not immediately available to reporters on Monday; his schedule refers people to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and the governor is expected to hit the road for the billionaire businessman as he campaigns for five presidential primaries on Tuesday.

The 190 full days Christie spent out of state in 2015 were the most expensive of Christie’s six-year tenure, but the costliest period of last year came in the final quarter, when Christie spent 32 days out of state. That final three months cost $193,890, according to documents obtained through an Open Public Records Act request by The Record.