WALLS CLOSE IN ON Chris Christie Facing Federal Investigation Over Sandy Funds: Frank Pallone

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is facing a federal investigation into whether the governor used Hurricane Sandy relief money to produce tourism ads starring himself and his family, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) told CNN Sunday. The New Jersey lawmaker said the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted a preliminary investigation, and concluded that a full investigation is warranted.

Christie

The investigation comes as the New Jersey governor is facing a separate federal probeinto revelations that his top aides engineered the temporary shutdown of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge as political retribution.

Pallone wrote a letter to the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in August, asking why a firm with a more expensive pitch won the project to make a New Jersey tourism campaign with Hurricane Sandy relief funds. The winning firm's bid was $4.7 million, while a comparable firm cost $2.5 million. The more expensive idea included the Christies, while the cheaper pitch did not. read more