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11 months ago
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An influential figure in New York Governor Kathy Hochul's administration is alleging the current First Lady of New Jersey, Tammy Murphy, is unfit to be a senator after she failed to respond to claims of sexual assault made by another woman.
Katie Brennan, executive director for New York storm recovery/resilience, homes, and communities, says she reported being raped by an aide to Tammy's husband, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
Brennan had served in Murphy's administration as director of the state housing and mortgage agency.
She appears to be entirely dissatisfied with Murphy's response or lack thereof.
'Tammy Murphy should not be a sitting senator for New Jersey,' Brennan told the New York Post. 'I thought she would be sympathetic. She was not. She had opportunities to lead. She failed to lead. She failed to respond to me.'
Katie Brennan says Tammy Murphy, pictured, the First Lady of New Jersey, is unsuitable for a senate seat after she failed to address accusations of sexual assault 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 race for the US Senate for the seat of Bob Menendez, who was indicted. Menendez has not announced plans whether he will run for reelection in the wake of the allegations.
Tammy Murphy and Democratic Rep. Andy Kim have both announced plans to challenge for the seat.
Tammy Murphy is known as being the state's First Lady and prolific fundraiser.
At the time of the alleged crime, Brennan had been volunteering for Phil Murphy's gubernatorial campaign and served in his administration.
She alleges that Tammy Murphy had several opportunities to address the allegations but failed to 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.
No criminal charges were ever filed 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 $1m settlement with New Jersey and Governor Phil Murphy's campaign
The New Jersey legislature later conducted an independent review that concluded that Murphy's team mishandled Brennan's accusation.
Brennan is now accusing Tammy Murphy of bringing individuals who 'failed' her into the Senate campaign, asserting that she has not proven herself fit for office.
'I do not believe she has proven herself. I do know many things that would disqualify her,' Brennan said.
Brennan emphasized her criticism of Tammy Murphy is strictly personal and not related to any state politics, such as the current dispute between Governor Hochul and Murphy about a proposed $15 New York City congestion toll.
Murphy has sued to block the toll alleging it to be unfair to New Jersey drivers.
Hochul believes the toll will help bring in another revenue stream for the state while 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 looked to discuss a sensitive matter relating to the campaign.
Brennan alleged how she was raped by campaign staffer Albert Alvarez. No criminal charges were ever filed against Alvarez, but he was removed from his position in the Murphy administration
'I would like to reintroduce myself. By way of background, I had the pleasure to volunteer for the campaign, serve on the Economic Working Group, lead the Housing Transition Committee, and currently have the honor of serving as Chief of Staff at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency,' Brennan wrote at the time.
'Reluctantly, I am coming to you today to discuss something that happened during the campaign. If possible, I would like to meet with either of you one on one for this sensitive matter,' she added.
Phil Murphy responded saying he was familiar with the issue and assuring her that his office were addressing the issue.
'We know you well. Adding our respective teams to get on with scheduling something. Hang in. We are on it. If we prove not to be fast enough don't hesitate to come back to Tammy or me directly. Many thanks,' 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 Governor husband Phil, announced her candidacy after incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife Nadine were indicted on federal bribery charge
Tammy Murphy has defended her commitment to preventing a recurrence of such situations in campaigns and workplaces.
She acknowledged Brennan's bravery in speaking up 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 survivors of sexual assault and I believe Katie. As Phil and I have said before, we deeply regret that this experience happened to her. As a survivor of sexual assault myself, I believe Katie was extremely brave in speaking up,' Tammy Murphy said.
'With that said, we vowed to never let a situation like that happen again on our campaigns or in our workplace. We created systemic changes on Phil's re-election campaign, and have done the same on 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,' she 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 U.S. 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, the mayor of the Borough of Mendham, is also a candidate.
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