NJ Gov Phil Murphy used thousands in taxpayer funds to party at Taylor Swift concert, stadium events: report

Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is asking the state Democratic Party to reimburse taxpayers after he used $12,000 in state funds at a Taylor Swift concert and other stadium events.

Murphy's expenditures, first reported by Politico, were all for food and drinks at MetLife Stadium. When confronted with the spending, Murphy's office reportedly said it was asking the state Democratic Party to pay back the state.

Murphy's office says it had always expected the state party to cover the costs, but noticed it had failed to do so. The governor's office then dipped into a $95,000 personal expense account set up for the office. That account is set up to pay for "Official Receptions, Official Residence, and Other Official Expenses," and cannot be used for "personal purposes," according to Politico.

"Once it was clear that there were outstanding bills that had not been paid, the state stepped up to meet this responsibility," Murphy spokeswoman Jennifer Sciortino told the outlet in a statement. "We are pursuing reimbursement from the state party for costs incurred at MetLife Stadium."

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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, ran into a similar issue when he served as governor. Christie, however, had the state Republican Party reimburse roughly $82,000 spent at MetLife Stadium.

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Public records show 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, according to Politico.

Murphy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Murphy is not the only prominent New Jersey Democrat facing increased scrutiny into his finances, however. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has been charged with acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to benefit the Egyptian government.

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The longtime senator has pleaded not guilty in the case, and he has resisted calls from his fellow Democrats to resign.