Chris Christie, Wife Earned Nearly $1 Million in 2014

Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie and his wife reported nearly $1 million in income last year, according to tax returns released by the New Jersey governor's office Friday.

The returns show the Christies made $970,161 in 2014, thanks largely to Christie's wife's former high-paying Wall Street job.

Mary Pat Christie took a hiatus from her position as managing director at Angelo, Gordon & Co. in April before Christie launched his presidential run. At the time, she said she wanted to spend more time with the couple's four children and now often travels with the governor when he's on the road.

The total marks a significant jump from 2013, when the couple reported $698,838 in income.

In addition to her wages from Angelo Gordon, Mary Pat also reported earning $34,698 from another former employer, Cantor Fitzgerald, as part of a partnership paid out over five years. The governor makes an annual salary of $175,000, but invests a portion in a 401(k) retirement fund each year. The couple also makes money from blind trusts in their names.

Mary Pat has long been the family's main breadwinner, and Christie has often joked about earning less.

"Listen, I just have three words for you: joint checking account," he once joked at a town hall event.

The returns also show the couple paid $400,588 in state and local income taxes and gave $27,609 to charity.

The 88 pages of federal and state tax documents were filed with the Internal Revenue Service following a six-month extension.

Christie has now released 12 years of returns, which span his time as governor and years he spent as a federal prosecutor.

Most of Christie's GOP rivals, including billionaire businessman Donald Trump, have yet to release their returns, though it's still early in the campaign.

Presidential candidates aren't legally required to release income tax returns, but the Federal Election Commission requires them to file financial disclosure reports outlining their income.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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