Former governor of New Jersey governor says she was sexually assaulted by former staff member

Former New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's campaign volunteer (D) accused one of his former employees of sexually assaulting her during the 2017 governorship campaign, raising questions on the state's protocol to deal with such complaints, reported Sunday the Wall Street Journal.

Katie Brennan, chief of staff of the New Jersey real estate agency, told the press that Albert Alvarez had been forcibly imposed in April 2017, while both were working for Murphy's campaign . She said that she contacted the police the next day, informed her friends and family of the incident and went to the hospital for a sexual assault examination.

In December, the Hudson County District Attorney decided not to prosecute, saying it was unlikely that Alvarez would be found guilty, the Wall Street Journal reported.

An Alvarez lawyer said his client "absolutely denies" the charges, and declined to comment further to the newspaper.

Brennan stated that she had refused an offer of settlement presented by Alvarez and had sent an email to Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy, in June 2018 to ask him to discuss a "sensitive subject." "although she did not explicitly mention the alleged aggression."

The Wall Street Journal looked at the Governor's emails in which he had asked staff to arrange a meeting with Brennan, but this never happened, which fueled Brennan's and others' frustrations about treatment of sexual assault complaints.

The governor's spokesman told the newspaper that the Murphy's had not learned that Brennan had accused Alvarez of sexual assault before the beginning of January, after being contacted by reporters. The spokesman added that the governor and his wife had asked the Division of Equal Opportunities for Employment and Positive Discrimination of the State, to assess how the state handled allegations of misconduct sexual.

"We are convinced that this allegation has been handled appropriately by the administration and that the policies and procedures have been followed correctly and quickly," MP Murphy said in a statement.

"However, it is clear that the process during the transition was inconsistent with our values ​​and that the hiring should not have been initiated," Murphy said. "We must now ask ourselves: how can we meet higher standards for the future?"

Alvarez worked as chief of staff of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority until his resignation on October 2, the same day, the Journal sent him an email asking him to comment on Brennan's allegations.

Brennan is the last woman to allege the harassment of a person in power. His story was published a month after Christine Blasey Ford accused the Supreme Court judge Brett KavanaughBrett Michael KavanaughConservative group launches advertising campaign thanking Collins after Kavanaugh vote Time to restore our democracy Kavanaugh fights GOP call for revival, but more is needed. to wedge her into a bed and grope her during a party while both were in high school.

Two other women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. He denied all requests and was confirmed by the Senate, 50-48.

In the middle of the "Me Too" movement, women have accused the former Sen. Al FrankenAlan (Al) Stuart FrankenProsecutor Releases Certain Charges Against Harvey Weinstein Poll: Dems Retains Double Digit Advance in Minnesota Senate Races Conservative writer says Trump should "stay away from charges" (D-Minn.), Former representative. John ConyersThe controversy of John James ConyersKavanaugh led to the politicization of "Me too," says an analyst. Sexual assault is not a game. Stop using women to score political points. Jr. (D-Mich.) And Senate Candidate of Alabama Roy MooreRoy Stewart MooreMellman: When the questions do not mean what they say (R) sexual misconduct. More than a dozen women have also accused President TrumpDonald John TrumpDave Chappelle: Trump's address to a very small choir in an "eclectic" country Three reasons why Mueller refuses to charge Trump with obstruction The Alabama grocery store says he does not sell Pepsi products bearing the NFL logo to counter knee manifestations MORE of sexual misconduct. The president denied all the allegations.