New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has apparently decided to ask the state Democratic Party to reimburse taxpayers after it was discovered that he spent almost $12,000 in state funds during a Taylor Swift concert and other events.
The bulk of Murphy’s spending was for food and drinks at MetLife Stadium, according to Fox News Digital. When Murphy was confronted on the issue, he claimed he was asking the state Democratic Party to pay the state back for what he spent.
Murphy’s office claimed that the Democratic State Committee was originally thought to be covering the costs, but it did not. As a result, the state was left with the hefty bill, which was paid out of Murphy’s $95,000 expense account. The expense account is only to be used for “Official Receptions, Official Residence, and Other Official Expenses.”
The expense account is not supposed to be for personal use, and it is barred from padding the governor’s annual $175,000 salary, per Politico.
Murphy’s spokesperson, Jennifer Sciortino, claimed the governor’s office believed that the state would cover the stadium expenses at the time because it had done so in the past.
“Once it was clear that there were outstanding bills that had not been paid, the state stepped up to meet this responsibility,” she said.
“We are pursuing reimbursement from the state party for costs incurred at MetLife Stadium,” she added.
Fox News reported that public records revealed that Murphy’s office spent “$936 on food and drinks at a Taylor Swift concert in 2018; $2,095 at a Sept. 2018 USA vs. Brazil soccer game; $2,068 at a Nov. 2018 Jets vs. Patriots game; $1,413 at the Hot 97’s Summer Jam in June 2019; $2,856 for the Sept. 2019 USA vs. Mexico soccer game, and $2,479 for the Oct. 2019 Jets vs. Cowboys game.”
Murphy is not the only Democrat politician in New Jersey to come under scrutiny for financial decisions. Senator Bob Menendez has been charged with being a foreign agent and taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to bolster the Egyptian government.
Blaze News previously reported that Menendez and his wife had over $480,000 in cash hidden around their house in envelopes and clothing closets, along with over $70,000 in his wife’s safety deposit box.
Federal agents involved in the investigation also found gold bars worth more than $100,000 in the senator’s home.
While Menendez has pleaded not guilty to the charges, he has also ignored calls from other Democrats to step down from his post.
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