After criticizing others, phil murphy defends his decision to take a vacation during the height of the pandemic
Photo by New Jersey Working Families Alliance/Facebook

After criticizing others, Phil Murphy defends his decision to take a vacation during the height of the pandemic

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1 min read
January 4, 2022

TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Monday defended his decision to take a family vacation to the Central American country of Costa Rica. Upon his return, it was revealed that his wife Tammy contracted COVID-19.

Murphy defended that decision, even though he has been harshly critical of other elected officials in the past taking vacations during times of emergency.

Murphy has been a critic of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s decision to vacation at the Island Beach State Park Governor’s Mansion, even though Christie had closed the park to the public during a statewide government shut down.

https:// /GovMurphy/status/1013632691437211648

Earlier this year, Murphy slammed Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz for taking a family vacation to Cancun during a major snowstorm that crippled the Lone Star State’s electrical grid.

https:// /GovMurphy/status/1407804371807707143

When it comes to Murphy abandoning New Jersey during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that’s his right and brushed off his critics.

“It’s been about 650 days of this pandemic, I’ve gone away for two eight-day periods, so that’s 16 days out of 650,” Murphy said. Why? You got to, at some point, spend time with your family and reboot. Secondly, I’ve got the best lieutenant governor in America as my partner with great leadership around her and around me, including Judy, Pat, Ed, and many others. Invariably in today’s day and age, I’m in my home in Middletown but if I told you I was somewhere else, the fact of the matter is we run a state today overwhelmingly remotely on phones, on Zooms, and trust me, we’re never far from where we need to be. I promise you that. By the way, I would say that to everybody. The reward for spending time with your family is worth it. Do it responsibly, safely, you stay in touch. You get a lot back from that.”

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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