Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-2) visited “FOX News Live” on Saturday and upbraided Governor Phil Murphy for declining to return to New Jersey immediately after Friday’s 4.8-magnitude quake despite finding time for a CBS News interview.
“We haven’t heard from the governor… and you know, on a lighter side, Arthel, there are those that say maybe it’s good he didn’t come, because every time he’s in New Jersey, he’s increasing taxes, tolls, fees and subsidizing illegals,” Van Drew told Arthel Neville. “But on a serious note, he wasn’t at a world summit for world peace. I mean he was at a Democratic convention, basically an association of democratic governors who were probably working on ways to make more democratic governors.”
“So I think he could have taken maybe even 12 hours out to come back to New Jersey. Our folks in New Jersey really had to look to New York – to New York officials – and what they were saying,” Van Drew continued. “Even though the actual earthquake was centered in Lebanon, New Jersey, in the northwestern part of the state.”
The epicenter of Friday morning’s geological event was reportedly Lebanon, New Jersey. Some properties – mostly located in North Jersey – did experience damage as a consequence of the quake.
“It would have been a nice symbol if he came back and said, ‘you know what, everything’s going to be OK. I want to personally review the infrastructure myself, see what the team has done, and then he could have gotten back to the convention, the association that he was at,” Van Drew added. “So I personally was a little disappointed that he didn’t make it. It’s just good for people to know that their leaders are there during times of problems. And even though, in, you know, the world scheme of earthquakes, with what California sees or some other states – this was not huge – it was the biggest earthquake the state of New Jersey has had almost in a century and a half. I wish he had been there.”
