Chris Christie donor's property venture given $106m by state after law changed

• New Jersey awarded public subsidy to close friend of governor
• Amendments made to state law eased approval of tax break
• Paterson city mayor suggests inquiry into funding process

Jon Swaine in Paterson, New Jersey
theguardian.com, Monday 2 June 2014 12.01 EDT

Chris Christie’s New Jersey administration awarded a $105.6m public subsidy to a property venture involving a close friend and financial backer of the governor, after state law was amended to enable the project to qualify for the money.

The venture, in one of the state’s poorest cities, appears potentially lucrative for the friend, Jon Hanson, a wealthy real estate tycoon who headed the fundraising operations for Christie's election campaigns, chairs a policy commission for the governor, and is a longstanding Republican donor.