Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering during a town hall meeting Thursday, April 23, 2015, in Cedar Grove, N.J. Christie is mulling a run for the White House, and while New Jersey's ethics laws don't prevent donors with state contracts from giving to his 2016 PAC, the law's author says the loophole leaves the governor open to significant conflicts-of-interest. (AP Photo TRENTON - The author of New Jersey's pay-to-play laws says Gov. Chris Christie's 2016 PAC may have violated them by accepting tens of thousands of dollars at a GOP fundraiser co-sponsored by a company that has a contract with New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection.