(SNews) – New Jersey’s Democrat Governor Phil Murphy has been blowing thousands of dollars in taxpayer money on lavish high-profile parties.
Gov. Murphy was caught spending $12,000 in taxpayer funds at a Taylor Swift concert and other stadium events.
Murphy is now asking the state Democratic Party to bail him out by reimbursing taxpayers for the money he spent.
The governor’s misappropriation of state funds was exposed in a report from Politico.
Murphy’s expenditures were all for food and drinks at MetLife Stadium.
When confronted with the spending, Murphy’s office told the outlet it is 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.
However, Murphy’s staff claim they didn’t notice that the funds hadn’t been paid back.
After Murphy was caught spending tax dollars on parties, the governor’s office then scrambled to cover it up by dipping into a $95,000 personal expense account set up for the office.
According to Politico, that account is set up to pay for “Official Receptions, Official Residence, and Other Official Expenses,” and cannot be used for “personal purposes.”
In a statement to the outlet, Murphy spokeswoman Jennifer Sciortino said:
“Once it was clear that there were outstanding bills that had not been paid, the state stepped up to meet this responsibility.
“We are pursuing reimbursement from the state party for costs incurred at MetLife Stadium.”
Financial records show Murphy was racking up large bills for food and drinks for himself and his guests.
Public records show Murphy’s office spent $936 in taxpayer money on food and drinks at a Taylor Swift concert in 2018, according to Politico.
He also spent:
$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
$2,479 for the Oct. 2019 Jets vs. Cowboys game
Murphy is not the only prominent New Jersey Democrat facing increased scrutiny of his finances, however.
Sen. “Gold Bar Bob” Menendez (D-NJ) has been charged with acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to benefit the Egyptian government.
The longtime senator has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Menendez has resisted calls from his fellow Democrats to resign.
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