New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is one of the millions of fans who have seen Taylor Swift perform live in concert, although it was taxpayers who were left to pick up his bill.
Politico reported Monday it had obtained public records showing Murphy had spent nearly $12,000 on food and drinks at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, including a 2018 Taylor Swift concert and a hip-hop music festival in 2019.
After being questioned about such exorbitant spending, the governor’s office claimed the Democratic State Committee was supposed to pick up the tab but then refused to do so.
This meant taxpayers were left to pay the bill as part of Murphy’s $ 95,000-a-year expense account.
However, the state’s budgetary rules say these expenses are reserved for “Official Receptions, Official Residence, and Other Official Expenses” and not for “personal purposes” such as Taylor Swift concerts.
Murphy spokeswoman Jennifer Sciortino told Politico his office “had every expectation” that the Democratic State Committee would cough up the money because it “traditionally covers these costs.”
“Once it was clear that there were outstanding bills that had not been paid, the state stepped up to meet this responsibility,” Sciortino said.
“We are pursuing reimbursement from the state party for costs incurred at MetLife Stadium,” she added later.
Meanwhile, Phil Swibinski, a spokesman for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, said in a statement that the group “had no knowledge” of an agreement to pay the said invoices.
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