Name: NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Slams Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attending Maskless Secret Party in the State
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NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Slams Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attending Maskless Secret Party in the State

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"Based on his past performances, it is obvious being a knucklehead is not beyond the pale for him," Governor Phil Murphy said of Rep. Matt GaetzAdvertisementNew Jersey Governor Phil Murphy slammed Matt Gaetz on Friday after the Florida congressman attended a secret party at a restaurant in Jersey City.Gaetz was photographed inside the Maritime Parc restaurant in Jersey City's Liberty State Park in close proximity to dozens of people — with no one wearing face coverings. The group, members of New York's Young Republican Club, allegedly "snuck into" Jersey City on Thursday night to hold a fundraiser after "they couldn't find a venue in their own city due to the pandemic," Murphy said during his on Friday.Get push notifications with news, features and more.FollowingYou'll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications.Sarah Palin had been scheduled to speak at the event, which reportedly kept the party's address a secret until the last minute to avoid detection, but Gaetz, 38, took her place after she backed out."There is no obvious attempt to enforce social distancing or face masks — even though wearing masks indoors is mandatory in New Jersey at organized gatherings when individuals are not eating or drinking," Murphy continued.In New Jersey, indoor gatherings are capped at 10 people, and restaurants are only allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity with guests wearing masks while not seated.RELATED:"It is beyond the pale that anyone would willingly endanger people in another state, never mind their own. It is also beyond the pale that a member of Congress ... would participate in this," the governor added, going on to call out Gaetz by name."That guy in the middle — the tall, handsome fella in the grey suit — that is Rep. Matt Putz. Sorry, Matt Gaetz," he said. "Based on his past performances, it is obvious being a knucklehead is not beyond the pale for him.""What a fool," Murphy continued, referencing Gaetz's stunt earlier this year of wearing a gas mask on the U.S. House of Representatives floor to vote on COVID-19 relief back in March. "He and they should be ashamed of themselves. He is not welcome — I hope you're watching, Matt — you are not welcome in New Jersey, and frankly, I don't ever want you back in this state."Jersey City law enforcement is investigating the party, Murphy said, and the restaurant has been .A spokesperson for Maritime Parc that the restaurant had been following state capacity rules."It has been brought to our attention that videos and photos have emerged on social showing people in close proximity," the spokesperson said. "We surmise this was at the end of the evening as we believe the agenda called for 2 hours 45 minutes of speaking out of the entire 3.5 hour event. As we did not have any role in the event other than to serve as the venue, we cannot speak for certain on the final agenda."The restaurant did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.The New York Young Republican Club tells PEOPLE in a statement that "the Gala was held in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including capacity restrictions.""Any suggestion to the contrary and any legal threats are made in bad faith and politically motivated," the statement says. "As far as we are aware, the First Amendment has not been repealed."Both Fulop and Murphy at the illegal gathering. Gaetz from Murphy, telling him, "You’re gonna regret this tweet when you move to Florida like the rest of New Jersey."RELATED:In , Gaetz added, "Thank you for calling me handsome, Governor! I’m only considered handsome in New Jersey, though. In Florida I’m barely a roundup 6."Gaetz could not be reached for comment by PEOPLE Friday.Jake Hudnut, Jersey City's chief prosecutor, said that the attendees' violations of COVID-19 regulations were "dangerous and unacceptable.""Pssst...you are in #JerseyCity - not New York. Gov. Cuomo may not be able to 'come and get' you. But I can," he of a photo from the event.&nbsp;New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also weighed in on the event, saying at his own press briefing Friday, "Why they chose to go to New Jersey to violate the rules as opposed to violating the rules in New York, I don't know," NBC New York .As information about the rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the and. to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click.this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

"Based on his past performances, it is obvious being a knucklehead is not beyond the pale for him," Governor Phil Murphy said of Rep. Matt GaetzAdvertisementNew Jersey Governor Phil Murphy slammed Matt Gaetz on Friday after the Florida congressman attended a secret party at a restaurant in Jersey City.Gaetz was photographed inside the Maritime Parc restaurant in Jersey City's Liberty State Park in close proximity to dozens of people — with no one wearing face coverings. The group, members of New York's Young Republican Club, allegedly "snuck into" Jersey City on Thursday night to hold a...

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NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Slams Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attending Maskless Secret Party in the State

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