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An influential figure in New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration alleges that current New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy is unfit to be a senator after she failed to respond to sexual assault allegations made by another woman .
Katie Brennan, executive director of New York Storm Recovery/Resiliency, Homes and Communities, says she reported being raped by an aide to Tammy’s husband, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
Brennan had served in the Murphy administration as director of the state’s housing and mortgage agency.
She seems completely dissatisfied with Murphy’s response or lack thereof.
“Tammy Murphy should not be a sitting senator from New Jersey,” Brennan told the New York Post. ‘I thought she would be understanding. She was not. She had opportunities to lead. She failed to lead. She didn’t answer me.
Katie Brennan says Tammy Murphy, pictured, the First Lady of New Jersey, is unfit for a Senate seat after she failed to address sexual assault allegations in 2018.
Katie Brennan claimed she reported being sexually assaulted by an aide to Tammy’s husband, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
Last month, Tammy Murphy entered the U.S. Senate race to fill the seat of impeached Bob Menendez. Menendez has not announced plans on whether he will run for re-election in the wake of the allegations.
Tammy Murphy and Democratic Rep. Andy Kim have announced plans to compete for the seat.
Tammy Murphy is known for being the state’s First Lady and a prolific fundraiser.
At the time of the alleged crime, Brennan had volunteered for Phil Murphy’s gubernatorial campaign and served in his administration.
He alleges that Tammy Murphy had several opportunities to address the allegations but did not do so.
In 2020, Brennan reached a $1 million settlement with the state and Phil Murphy’s campaign over the mishandling of her rape allegations against campaign staffer Albert Alvarez.
Criminal charges were never brought against Alvarez, but he was removed from his position in the Murphy administration.
Brennan expressed dissatisfaction with Tammy Murphy’s response, or lack thereof, despite reaching a $1 million settlement with New Jersey and Governor Phil Murphy’s campaign.
The New Jersey legislature subsequently conducted an independent review that concluded that Murphy’s team mishandled Brennan’s accusation.
Brennan is now accusing Tammy Murphy of including people in the Senate campaign who ‘failed’ her, claiming she has proven herself unfit for the job.
‘I don’t think he’s proven himself. “I know a lot of things that would disqualify her,” Brennan said.
Brennan emphasized that his criticism of Tammy Murphy is strictly personal and not related to any state policy, such as the current dispute between Governor Hochul and Murphy over a proposed $15 congestion toll for New York City.
Murphy has sued to block the toll, claiming it is unfair to New Jersey drivers.
Hochul believes the toll will help generate another source of revenue for the state while also reducing rush hour traffic.
Brennan shared a 2018 email that she claims was sent to both Phil and Tammy Murphy in 2018 in which she sought to discuss a sensitive matter related to the campaign.
Brennan alleged how she was raped by campaign staffer Albert Alvarez. Criminal charges were never filed against Alvarez, but he was removed from his position in the Murphy administration.
‘I would like to introduce myself again. By way of background, I had the pleasure of volunteering for the campaign, serving on the Economic Task Force, leading the Housing Transition Committee, and currently have the honor of serving as Chief of Staff for the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency of New Jersey.’ Brennan wrote at the time.
‘Reluctantly, I come to see you today to discuss something that happened during the campaign. “If possible, I would like to meet with any of you one on one to discuss this delicate matter,” he added.
Phil Murphy responded by saying he was familiar with the issue and assuring her that his office was addressing the issue.
‘We know you well. Add our respective teams to continue programming something. Wait. We’re on that. If we prove we’re not fast enough, feel free to get back to Tammy or me directly. Thank you very much,” Murphy wrote, signing “Phil and Tammy M.”
Tammy has been a key figure in her husband’s administration working on issues such as clean energy initiatives.
Tammy Murphy, left, pictured with her husband, Governor Phil, announced her candidacy after incumbent Senator Robert Menendez and his wife Nadine were indicted for federal bribery.
Tammy Murphy has defended her commitment to preventing these types of situations from happening again in campaigns and in the workplace.
He acknowledged Brennan’s bravery in speaking out and outlined systemic changes, including training on harassment, inclusion, diversity and the creation of a handbook to ensure a positive and inclusive workplace.
‘I believe in survivors of sexual assault and I believe in Katie. As Phil and I have said before, we are deeply sorry that this experience happened to you. “As a survivor of sexual assault, I think Katie was extremely brave to speak out,” Tammy Murphy said.
‘That said, we are committed to not allowing a situation like that to happen again in our campaigns or in our workplace. We created systemic changes in Phil’s re-election campaign and have done the same in this campaign. “These systemic changes include training on harassment, inclusion, diversity and a handbook to ensure staff understand what is expected of them to have a positive and inclusive workplace,” he added.
Tammy has been a key figure in her husband’s administration working on issues such as clean energy initiatives.
Despite the personal nature of Brennan’s attack, she announced her candidacy for the United States Senate following the indictment of incumbent Senator Robert Menendez on federal bribery charges.
Brennan is throwing her support behind Democratic Rep. Andy Kim for the Senate seat, while Republican Christine Serrano Glassner, mayor of Mendham Parish, is also a candidate.