Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday defended his wife Tammy Murphy's role in his administration when asked about the decision to spend nearly $13,000 to install a new doorway to her office.

The Democratic governor responded to a question about the spending on the first lady's office during a pair of morning TV interviews to mark his 100th day in office. Murphy called a report about the door "ridiculous."

NJ Advance Media reported earlier this month that the Murphy administration spent some $27,000 to refurbish and redecorate the governor's office -- about a block from the Statehouse, which is being rehabbed -- after he started his new job in January.

That included $13,000 on a doorway so that a conference room just down the hall from the official governor's suite could become a private office for the first lady.

"My word," Murphy said when he was asked about the door during his appearance on WNYW Fox 5.

"That's TMZ journalism at its worst," he said, referring to the celebrity news website.

"It's just ridiculous," Murphy added.

The governor went on to defend his wife's role in the administration.

"She is an absolute treasure in the state of New Jersey," Murphy said. "I am incredibly proud of her."

"She works her tail off every single day -- for nothing, by the way -- she has deep passion and interest in a couple of policy areas," he aded.

Tammy Murphy does have a significant role in the administration. She helps craft policy and travels from Middletown to Trenton nearly every day.

The oversized role of a first spouse prompted some legislative leaders to question how much power she wields over policymaking.

"I think there could be some confusion when one wants to contact the administration on a specific issue," state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, told NJ Advance Media earlier this month. "If there is, in fact, an official policy role for the first lady, I just think a little more clarity would be helpful."

NJ Advance Media reported on the renovations to the office to accommodate the first lady using receipts obtained under the Open Public Records Act.

Prior to the WNYW Fox 5 interview, Murphy appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," where he reflected on his first three months and predicated a Democratic wave of sorts in the state in the upcoming midterm elections.

New Jersey has 12 U.S. House of Representatives. Seven of the seats are held by Democrats and five by Republicans.

"My gut tells me ... if you see a wave election, I can see Democrats getting three or four," Murphy said. "This could be a big year for us in those House races."

The governor told Politico New Jersey he plans to campaign for Democrats where there are competitive races in the state. That includes seats held by U.S. Reps. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., Leonard Lance, R-7th Dist., and Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11th Dist.

Both Frelinghuysen and LoBiondo are retiring.

Seats held by Reps. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., and Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., are considered less likely to flip.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Claude Brodesser-Akner contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.