Chris Christie has had a rough start to 2014. Following the revelation last week that a number of Christie’s staffers organized the closure of two lanes on one of New Jersey’s busiest bridges, it was announced this morning that Christie is being investigated for his use of Hurricane Sandy relief funds. 

Prior to these two developments, Christie was considered to be a front runner to be nominated as the GOP’s candidate for president in 2016.

The relief funds in question were $25 million in federal Sandy relief funds that were used in a marketing campaign to promote tourism at the Jersey Shore after it was decimated in late 2012. 

The investigation will be centered around whether Christie followed a fair and equitable bidding process in selecting the firm that produced the commercials.

SEE ALSO: Emails From Gov. Chris Christie's Staffer Link To Bridge Scandal

The firm which was selected, and which featured Christie and his family in the ads, is charging about $2 million more than the next closest bidder, whose proposal did not feature the Christies.

New Jersey representative Frank Pallone, who initiated the investigation, said “This was money that could have directly been used for Sandy recovery. And, as you know, many of my constituents still haven’t gotten the money that is owed them to rebuild their homes or raise their homes or to help.”

Though things for Christie are already bad enough after he was forced to dismiss two top aides for their involvement in the bridge scandal, they could get far worse if he is found guilty of improperly spending Sandy relief funds. 

Such a conclusion would badly tarnish his reputation and his signature achievement as New Jersey governor that makes him such an appealing candidate for the GOP nomination for president. 

Read the full story at CNN.

Reach Executive Producer Christopher Coppock here.