By Hilary Russ
NEW YORK (Reuters) - During his first few years in office, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie racked up a big tab for entertaining guests, including during sporting events in the state's luxury boxes at MetLife (NYSE:MET) Stadium and other venues, according to a report on Monday.
In particular, he spent $82,594 on 58 occasions during the 2010 and 2011 NFL football season at the East Rutherford stadium, the report from the nonprofit New Jersey Watchdog said.
Altogether, Christie spent at least $300,000 on food, drinks, desserts and other entertainment costs during his five years in office, the report said.
Like other New Jersey governors, Christie has access to what is now a $95,000 annual spending account and house seats in New Jersey's professional sports stadiums.
The discretionary account can be used to pay for hosting events in the governor's official capacity, whether at the State House, the governor's residence or a sporting venue, spokesman Kevin Roberts said in an emailed statement.
The findings mirror reports last week by the Associated Press, which noted the New Jersey Republican State Committee reimbursed the state Treasury for the luxury box expenses in March 2012.
The reports come as Christie gears up for a potential 2016 Republican presidential bid. His critics have questioned his acceptance of big-ticket gifts from friends, including a trip to Texas for a Jan. 4 Dallas Cowboys game, paid for by team owner Jerry Jones.
Christie discussed the issue when he was in New Hampshire on Friday, saying people from both political parties and various interest groups get private time with him at football games.
He asked the state Republican party to pay for the stadium concessionary expenses in 2012 so that "people can't make the argument that we're using taxpayer money for anything that even looks like politics," he said, according to the AP.