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Gov. Christie's office won't release a list of guests who attended a holiday party at the governor's mansion in Princeton.

(Photo by John Munson/The Star-Ledger)

TRENTON — Business leaders, lawmakers, friends and reporters descended on the governor's mansion to eat and drink, share news and gossip, and rub elbows with one of the nation's biggest political stars.

It was the Christmas season, and Gov. Chris Christie — who had been immersed in all things Sandy for weeks on end — was ready to entertain at Drumthwacket, the New Jersey governor’s home away from home in Princeton.

So who were among the fortunate walking the grounds once owned by William Penn and sipping wine in the sprawling, stately 1835 mansion on the National Register of Historic Places?

Christie and his aides would rather not say.

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"The public has a right to know who he is entertaining," Ron Miskoff, who serves on the board of New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, said. "It could be political supporters or he could be rewarding others."

But lawyers for the New Jersey governor contend that releasing the guest list presented a security risk that outweighed the public’s right to know, according to the denial of a Star-Ledger request made under the Open Public Records Act.

The lawyers say the guest list is akin to the governor’s private daily schedule, which the courts have ruled could be used by a would-be-attacker to track his work patterns, and so can be shielded from the public.

"That strikes me as a bit of a stretch," said Miskoff, a former journalist who teaches investigative reporting at Rutgers University.

When the White House puts on a state dinner — which routinely includes heads of state, cabinet secretaries and leaders of business and industry — the guest list is released and pored over by the public — or at least the Washington cognoscenti — along with the menu.

Miskoff said that as the Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2009, Christie spoke to the foundation board and criticized Gov. Jon Corzine’s record of transparency and pledged a more open government.

He said he has been disappointed by Christie in that regard.

"As is often is the case, when the candidate wins ... they like to release other peoples’ records, not theirs," Miskoff said

Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the governor, refused to say how many holiday parties Christie held, choosing instead to focus on a Dec. 19th event attended by lawmakers and journalists, including reporters from The Star-Ledger.

"The media is the group that is most excited about the event," Drewniak said. "They love the free food and drinks."

He said that "as with all governors of both political parties through the decades, Drumthwacket remains the official residence for use by the governor and is available to him for private meetings and gatherings."

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During a speech at one such festive gathering on Dec. 19, Christie — who was in an expansive mood — told the crowd it was the last of several holiday parties.

That one was paid for by a $95,000 discretionary account that state law shields from public view because no accounting of the fund is required. The others, Drewniak said, were paid for by the state Republican committee.

Jim Florio, the Democratic governor from 1990 to 1994, said while he leaned on the side of openness, he understood that security concerns have heightened in recent years.

He said his wife, Lucinda, organized most of the affairs at Drumthwacket to host events and support causes in which she had taken an interest.

"Some governors did not use it," he said, "but for us it was very useful ... I still run into a lot of people who say they had a great time at the parties."

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