New Jersey governor spent $12K on stadium events — including a Taylor Swift concert

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy used his taxpayer-funded expense account for nearly $12,000 worth of food and drinks at MetLife Stadium — including at a Taylor Swift concert and a hip-hop music festival, according to public records obtained by POLITICO.

Now, after being questioned about the justifications for the costs during his first term, the governor’s office says it is asking the state Democratic Party to reimburse taxpayers for the entertainment.

Murphy’s use of his expense account has not attracted attention since he took office in 2018. But his Republican predecessor, Chris Christie, found himself under scrutiny by the news media for similar spending and had the Republican State Committee reimburse the state more than $82,000 in concession costs at MetLife Stadium.

Murphy's office said the Democratic State Committee was initially expected to cover the stadium costs but didn’t. The state was left with the bill, which was paid via Murphy’s $95,000-a-year expense account — a longstanding line item in the state budget which has been consistently renewed under Murphy and his predecessors.

Budget language says the governor’s expense account is for "Official Receptions, Official Residence, and Other Official Expenses." The expense account is barred from being used for “personal purposes” and it cannot supplement the governor’s annual $175,000 salary.

Jennifer Sciortino, a spokesperson for Murphy, said the governor’s office “had every expectation” that the state party would cover the stadium expenses at the time 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 in a statement to POLITICO.

“We are pursuing reimbursement from the state party for costs incurred at MetLife Stadium,” she added in a follow-up statement.

Phil Swibinski, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, said in a statement that the organization “had no knowledge” of the invoices since they came before the current party leadership.

"We are looking into the matter in order to determine whether any additional action is necessary at this time," he said.

Records from the governor’s expense account do not show taxpayers picking up MetLife Stadium expenses after 2019.

How Murphy spent over the years

The records, obtained through the Open Public Records Act, offer a partial glimpse into how taxpayer dollars help fund a more private part of the governor's job away from bill signings and press conferences. Murphy has used the expense account for "official state gifts" and catering for receptions he's hosted, typically at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton.

State gifts included cufflinks and $100 custom plates, according to the records.

When Christie was eyeing a run for the White House, multiple news outlets reported on his use of the expense account in 2010 and 2011, notably the $82,594 spent on concessions at MetLife, which the state Republican Party reimbursed. That was part of $300,000 in spending on food and alcohol over five years, according to a now-defunct outlet, New Jersey Watchdog.

Christie used the governor’s suite at MetLife Stadium regularly, including to host elected officials whom his aides were planning to pressure for a future endorsement, according to testimony at the Bridgegate trial. Murphy also has access to a private suite at the stadium and regularly attends events there, including a Jets vs. Bills game with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Murphy similarly used his expense account at MetLife stadium, although his spending there was far smaller. The $11,847 for snacks and beverages at the East Rutherford stadium included:

• $936 for snacks during a July 2018 Taylor Swift concert

• $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.

State records do not show who was in attendance for the MetLife Stadium events or what gubernatorial business Murphy was on during Swift’s 2018 “Reputation” tour or the Hot 97 Jam, which featured Cardi B and Meek Mill. Some invoices show specific line items for the snacks at MetLife — the Jets vs. Cowboys game included $90 for Aquafina and $45 for extra guacamole, for example.

Many of the expenses from the governor’s account were for receptions at the governor’s mansion. From the start of his term to around July 2023, around $280,000 was spent between grocery store purchases, restaurant catering or catering staff for receptions. Events covered by the expense account included receptions for Hanukkah, Diwali and a meeting with the French ambassador (POLITICO has attended catered press receptions hosted by the governor’s office). Other events expensed were labeled as meetings with Cabinet members and senior staff or legislative meetings, according to invoices.

Records also show that in August 2021, just over $3,000 in catering staff was sent to Murphy’s personal residence in Monmouth County, a sprawling, multi-million dollar estate on the Navesink River. Invoices do not show who Murphy was meeting with at his home or what official gubernatorial business was happening at the time, although there was also a $1,620 valet parking invoice for an event that same day (invoices showed four instances of catering staff sent to Murphy’s personal residence in 2018, although Sciortino said they were actually sent to Drumthwacket).

“Governor Murphy, like others before him, has chosen to forego living in the official Governor’s Mansion,” Sciortino said in a statement. “On occasion, he hosts official state business at his residence, such as dinners with legislative leadership, which are catered by the Drumthwacket chef, occasionally with help from outside catering companies if the event is larger in nature.”

Not all purchases were for food and catering. In May 2018, the governor’s office spent $253 at the New Jersey State Museum Shop, with $108 for two pairs of “NJ State Seal Gold Cuff Link[s]” and $145 on five “Heirloom Pen Battle Sites” pens, according to an invoice. Records from the gift shop suggest taxpayers got a good deal — a 10 percent discount for state employees was applied to the cufflinks.

In 2018, invoices also included $3,118 for 30 custom plates from a stained glass art studio as well as $2,300 for 184 custom New Jersey-themed coasters, which Sciortino said was part of a publicly advertised “official state gift” contest for New Jersey artists. Another purchase included $900 for 50 copies of a New Jersey art book on Jersey Shore paintings.

The cufflinks, pens, plates, coasters and art books were “official gifts” for customary purposes, according to Sciortino.

“Governors and foreign dignitaries — such as heads of state, ambassadors and consul generals — traditionally gift one another with official state gifts,” Sciortino said in a statement. “The items mentioned were purchased at the very onset of the administration. The completed items, along with the book ‘Jersey Shore Impressionists,’ were eventually purchased as official gifts for meetings with dignitaries.”

Other expense funds were used for renovations at Drumthwacket. That includes $64,750 in late 2020 to replace windows at Drumthwacket to “ensure proper airflow,” according to records. In late 2021 the governor’s office spent just over $50,000 for Drumthwacket renovations including improvements to a bathroom, side and front porch and back corridor.

Murphy did not entirely deplete his expense account every year. Records show over $25,000 went unused and was returned to the state between 2019 to 2022 from the expense account.

Legislation introduced in prior sessions would have required annual disclosures with the State Ethics Commission on how the funds were spent. The bill, however, never advanced and has not been reintroduced.

Look at the invoices from Murphy's expense account here.