Feds: New Jersey Gov. Christie’s Post-Sandy Ads Were OK

The federal government says New Jersey did not run afoul of any regulations when Gov. Chris Christie starred in ads that promoted beach tourism in the summer after Superstorm Sandy hit the state.

But an audit by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general finds the state did make mistakes in procuring the $25 million marketing contract.

A report issued last week and made public Wednesday says the state failed to make independent cost estimates. It also found the marketing firm that won the contract did not have timesheets to support all its charges.

The report says the errors were made because the state government was not aware of some of the federal procurement rules.

It also says the state has taken steps to fix the problems.