Brennan smacks Murphy administration

Katie Brennan today slammed the Murphy administration for a “gross misuse of confidentiality.”

“When I alerted the transition, they used confidentiality to prevent an investigation. When I wanted to tell the Governor, they invoked confidentiality to stop him from knowing. When I wanted to know why Al Alvarez was leaving State employment, they used confidentiality to hide the reason,” Brennan said in a statement released tonight.  “But confidentiality didn’t stop them telling my rapist that I made a complaint. Finally, the confidentiality clause was weaponized to try to silence me after my Legislative testimony. Confidentiality is used to stop action and silence victims, not to encourage them to report sexual misconduct.”

Brennan said the independent review conducted by former state Supreme Court Justice Peter Verniero shows a lack of accountability – and “effective policies and procedures” – that would help deal with personnel issues in Murphy’s gubernatorial transition.

“I look forward to seeing additional recommendations from the Joint Select Legislative Oversight Committee so that comprehensive reform can be implemented,” Brennan said.

Brennan wants the administration to amend the state’s EEO/AA policies as recommended by the Verniero report.

“I urge the administration to review the strict confidentiality directive, and its application against State employees, and to strike down the strict confidentiality directive which silences survivors,” Brennan said.  “By denying our ability to speak if we complain, the State is denying our ability to be heard.”