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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie take the stage for a campaign rally in Exeter, N.H., in January 2012.

(Brian Snyder/Reuters)

TRENTON — From the start, it was a love-hate relationship.

A controversial new book on the 2012 presidential race says Gov. Chris Christie was a “fund raising dynamo” for GOP nominee Mitt Romney, but annoyed the campaign over his demands for expensive hotels and private jets.

And there were other irksome things: The governor campaigned hard for Romney, but was often late and outshone him when he got up to speak.

He was on a short list as a possible Romney running mate, but when those vetting Christie’s background began digging deeper, they were “stunned by the garish controversies” lurking in the shadows of his record — including his decision to steer hefty government contracts to donors and political allies, and a Justice Department report ripping his spending on travel when he served as U.S. Attorney.

“If Christie had been in the nomination fight against us, we would have destroyed him — he wouldn’t be able to run for governor again,” said one of those involved in the vetting process. “When you look below the surface, it’s not pretty.”

"Double Down," the new book on the 2012 presidential campaign, due out Tuesday

The book — “Double Down: Game Change 2012” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann — will not be released until next week, on Election Day. The Star-Ledger obtained a copy today.

Questions about the book’s revelations followed Christie throughout the day Friday as he campaigned for re-election, after accounts were published in The New York Times and the website Politico, which first broke the story.

"Everything that's in that book people have read about me before," Christie told reporters during a campaign stop at the Empire Diner in Parsippany. "That's the authors' characterization, because they're trying to sell books. So, it doesn't really matter to me."

At a later stop at the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton, Christie again dismissed the reported findings in the book, and said he had “a great relationship” with the Romneys.

“It’s all just about trying to sell as many books as possible,” the governor said. “I’ll read it when it comes out, and if I have anything more to say then, I’ll let you know.”

Christie, who warrants a full chapter subtitled “Big Boy,” the much-hated nickname bestowed upon him by President George W. Bush, was wooed relentlessly by Romney as the former Massachusetts governor tried to lock up a nomination that proved elusive for months. The two finally met at the official governor’s residence at Drumthwacket over dinner, and then moved to the library for a private and increasingly aggressive talk, according to the book.

Romney told Christie bluntly that he would be the nominee, and that he should get on board sooner rather than later. The governor told him he was not ready to commit — but he also warned him that until he made up his mind, he did not want any of the Republican candidates raising money in New Jersey.

“If you jump the gun and start raising money here, you can certainly kiss my support good-bye,” said Christie, according to the book.

The authors said Romney felt the terms — and the backroom delivery — were galling, like something straight out of “The Sopranos,” but reluctantly agreed.

Ultimately, Christie did get behind Romney, but only after he publicly flirted with getting into the race himself with the clear encouragement of top party bigwigs, and much to the anger of the Romney camp. In the end, however, he finally declared himself out of the running.

According to the book, Romney was grateful for Christie’s endorsement and his fund-raising efforts, although he frequently made fun of Christie’s weight. At the same time, it said the campaign often found the governor and his staff “overbearing and hard to work with, demanding in ways that would have been unthinkable from any other surrogate.”

The portrayal of Christie in “Double Down” paints a picture of Jersey attitude backed by the flexing of political muscle, recounting how “Trenton insisted on private jets, lavish spreads of food, space for a massive entourage” as if the books says, Christie himself were running for president.

And while punctuality mattered to Romney, his Jersey surrogate chronically ran behind schedule, with Christie making a habit of showing up late to the Mitt’s fund-raising events. According to the book, Christie was so tardy to a donor reception at the Grand Hyatt New York that Romney wound up taking the stage to speak before Christie arrived, as if he were merely the governor’s warm-up act.

Still, Christie made a compelling argument for Romney and soon landed on a short list of possible running mates. The vetting process was called “Project Goldfish” and each of those on the list was given an aquatic code name to maintain the secrecy. Christie was “Puffer Fish.”

The backgrounding procedure, according to the book, “amounted to a political body cavity search,” including a 70-part questionnaire, a request for income taxes, health records, and more. But those doing the vetting complained that the list of questions about Puffer Fish “was extensive and troubling.”

Much of what the book cited about the committee’s concerns had long been public.

For example, Christie had been sharply criticized over the travel expenses he ran up when he served as U.S. Attorney. The inspector general at the U.S. Justice Department determined he had often exceeded the government travel-expense rate allowances without adequate justification, including stays at the Four Seasons in Washington that cost more than double the approved rate of $233 per night.

And Christie’s awarding as U.S. Attorney of a lucrative monitoring contract with his one-time boss, former attorney general John Ashcroft, became the focus of a congressional inquiry.

They also cited his work as a lobbyist on behalf of the Security Industry Association at a time when Ponzi artist Bernie Madoff was a senior SIA official, as well as “unanswered questions” about a defamation lawsuit from earlier in the governor’s political career, a stock fraud investigation involving Christie’s brother, and his failure to provide the names and documented status of all household help.

There was also continuing unease as well over his famously brash manner. At one point, the committee put together a DVD of Christie’s “most outlandish or unnerving” YouTube videos, including one where he castigated a pro-gay marriage assemblyman as “numb nuts.”

In a 35-page report, the book said, the vetting team viewed Trenton as “recalcitrant,” and believed the governor had not been sufficiently forthcoming with his medical records.

Beth Myers, who oversaw Romney’s vice presidential search, in response to questions about the book, said Christie “complied fully with the Romney campaign’s request for documents in a timely manner, including a complete medical report from his internist and cardiologist.”

Myers said one of the goals of the VP vetting exercise was to evaluate all of the candidates in every way possible so that nothing was left to surprise.

"Considering we knew everything would be viewed through the lens of a hyper-sensationalized pre-election media's interpretation, everything, even the most speculative or tenuous, was included," she said.

But according to the book, the committee ultimately concluded that Christie’s background was littered with “potential land mines.They pulled the plug on further consideration of Puffer Fish as VP, and selected the candidate dubbed “Fishconsin” — Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan.

Star-Ledger staff writers Brent Johnson and Stephen Stirling contributed to this report.

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