Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed an order on his first day in office banning himself and other executive branch employees from accepting gifts of any value.
The new order allows gifts from certain friends and family and was meant to fulfill a campaign promise.
While Wolf’s policy was in reaction to controversies in Harrisburg and not New Jersey, the change comes in the wake of criticism aimed at Gov. Chris Christie for accepting a free seat in the owner’s box during a recent Dallas Cowboys playoff game. Christie is a fan of the team and considers the owner, Jerry Jones, a personal friend.
It was this interpretation of the personal friend exception that garnered complaints. In addition, a potential business connection between Jones and the Port Authority, where Christie has some supervisory role, began a debate about when, exactly, Jones and Christie became friends.
This week, American Bridge, a liberal opposition research firm, gave some news organizations a list of gifts given to Christie that it had obtained through an open records request. NJ Advance Media posted the database of 1,100 small gifts provided to the New Jersey governor. The database includes items ranging from DVDs to paperweights and also a picture of the governor with President Obama.
Most of the criticism leveled against Christie centers around the Cowboys appearance. Jones specifically paid for Christie and some members of his family to take a private jet to the game and sit in the owner's box, according to the Bergen Record.
Previously, Christie set policy that banned legislators from receiving tickets to MetLife Stadium events, in part because they often weren’t similarly available to the public.