TRENTON, N.J. _ New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that Donald Trump had offered a generous donation to a charity for Hurricane Sandy victims in response to a solicitation by first lady Mary Pat Christie.
But reporters could not find a record of the contribution, and Christie's office later clarified that the "governor misspoke this morning."
"Mr. Trump has given to other New Jersey charities, including the Drumthwacket Foundation," spokesman Brian Murray said in an email.
Mary Pat Christie was president of the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund Inc., which raised $41 million "to support the recovery and rebuilding efforts of New Jersey communities impacted" by the October 2012 storm.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation did not list the Sandy fund on its 2012-14 tax forms as being a recipient of a charitable contribution. It did report approving $20,000 for Drumthwacket, the traditional gubernatorial mansion in Princeton.
Christie and his family have not resided there, preferring to live in their Morris County house.
Speaking at a hotel in a suburb of Cleveland, host of this week's Republican National Convention, Christie described Trump as "extraordinarily generous," and said that when his wife was working to raise money after Sandy, "one of her first calls was to Donald Trump."
"And it wasn't a long phone call. He said, 'Mary Pat, I like Chris, but I'm scared of you.' He said, 'How much does the check need to be? Just tell me and I'll send it.'"
