Updated: Nov 2, 2023 / 04:21 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy spent nearly $12,000 on food and drinks at MetLife Stadium, including at a Taylor Swift concert, using his taxpayer-funded expense account, according to Politico.

Now, the governor’s office is asking the state Democratic Party to pick up the tab and says that was the plan all along.

“What the governor’s office told us is that at the time of these expenses, it was actually expected that the state Democratic Party would come in to pick up the tab,” Daniel Han, the reporter who broke the story, told NewsNation Thursday.

The governor’s office pointed to “staffing transitions” at the state Democratic Party for why that didn’t happen as expected, Han said.

Details from Murphy’s expense account, which Han obtained through the Open Public Records Act, show the governor spent $11,847 on snacks and beverages at a number of MetLife Stadium events from 2018 to 2019.

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The tab included $936 for snacks at a July 2018 Taylor Swift concert and $2,068 at a Nov. 2018 Jets vs. Patriots game. There was also a $1,413 charge at the Hot 97’s Summer Jam headlined by Cardi B in June 2019.

So far, there’s no indication Murphy intends to pay the tab from his personal funds, Han said.

The New Jersey governor has a $95,000-a-year expense account for “Official Receptions, Official Residence, and Other Official Expenses.” It’s unclear who attended the events or what official business Murphy was on.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also used the state’s expense account during his time in office, spending more than $82,000 on concessions at MetLife Stadium back in 2010 and 2011.

However, Christie proactively had the state Republican Party reimburse taxpayers for that spending, Han noted.